Disney

Performance Martial Arts Festival 2007

________________________

________________________

Celebrating the Lunar New Year - the Year of the Ox

02/11/2009

Diversity Resource Group, COMPASS, celebrated their first meeting with a 2009 kickoff about "What will you celebrate?" and educated the members about the Lunar New Year - the Year of the Ox. The meeting began with a lion dance by performers from the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu School of Lomita dressed in colorful costumes and lavish embellishments. Traditionally, in festivals honoring the Lunar New Year, a lion dance accompanied by fireworks brings luck and drives off evil spirits with the noise and bright colors.

The Shaolin Temple Kung Fu School performs the lion dance to drive
away evil spirits and bring good luck to begin a new year.

According to Master Manuel Marquez, president and chief instructor of the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu School, each lion dance is slightly different because the choreography represents a legacy of more than 500 years of families passing on their own style and trademark to the dance.

Master Marquez explains. "The Lunar New Years is a change of tides and exchanging of oneself from bad to good, and with these changes comes rebirth and wisdom. Each year is meant to tap into different qualities of ourselves so over the journey we see the whole rainbow of colors. The dance expresses that being complete after each year and not behind in your life, is a good sign."

COMPASS Chair Esther Choi from the In-Market Sales Department described the opening dance as a sign of hope for prosperity through fortitude and hard work. "The Ox is a power sign, and people born in the Year of the Ox possess the ability to achieve great things," Esther said. "Walt Disney and President Obama were both born under this sign and are strong and intelligent individuals who inspire hope in many people."

In conjunction with the Lunar New Year, "What will you celebrate?" was discussed along with the year's promotions at the Resort presented by Phil Bangayan, manager, Annual Pass Program.

As co-chair of COMPASS, Cecile Andal from The Disney University said that the meetings are open to anyone interested in furthering their cultural experiences and shared her reasons for joining. "I was fascinated with the perspective on all the different Asian cultures," Cecile said. "I joined the group because I was able to take away some key learnings from each meeting. Now, as a leadership member, I have the opportunity to contribute and be involved with the process of implementing and achieving goals that our team has planned for the year."

COMPASS members at their first meeting of 2009: (from left to right) Jeremy Ong, Gwen Easley, David Fielding, Jeff Chang, Tabi Hashimoto, Esther Choi, Cecile Andal. Not pictured: Gil Degloria and Jaime Kamei.

Final remarks from Esther were followed by all attendees leaving with fortune cookies (which they learned did not originate in the Chinese culture, but right here in California!).

"We want our Cast Members to understand that COMPASS is a resource to the Resort business and to our community, and that our membership is our greatest asset," Esther said. "Hopefully, the attendees were inspired by the meeting to kick off the New Year with diligence and strength."

By Abella Carroll

____________________