Dragon dance

So we have a dragon and lion dance coming up in the beginning of September. I've been kind of nervous about it, wondering if we would be ready or not. But yesterday we had a great practice and I'm confident that the performance will go well. It's been difficult because we've had so many new people (myself included), but everyone has stepped up and it's looking great now. One of the major difficulties with the dragon dance is the number of people it involves. You need at least nine every practice. The difficulty is in trying to schedule practices around nine different schedules. But so far we've always had enough people (sometimes just!).

I always found lion dancing (and now dragon dancing) to be a great test of my commitment. Over the years I've rescheduled work, missed parties, put off vacations etc. so that I could make practices. The great motivator for me was not the dance itself (although that's cool too), but the camaraderie and team-building atmosphere that you only get when you practice for hours together. You build a special bond within your team and it's really special. I always felt a lot of pressure to show up to practices too because it wasn't just me that was effected, but the entire team and ultimately (because we represent the school at performances), the school. It's a great responsibility to be a member of a performance group, but you get a lot of benefit from it too (the team building I mentioned, performance experience, technical skill etc.).
When you are in a dance, you have to put the team (and the school) first and yourself (your schedule - although work can be difficult) second. That's what real commitment is, its being willing to sacrifice your own goals for the greater cause that you've signed up for.

I understand that it can be hard to do so when you have a family. I've been blessed in that my husband is also very much involved in the school too so it makes my involvement easier. But at the end of the day, I don't think family can be used as an excuse for lack of commitment.
I can say this because I've been heavily involved in other things (for this example, my church), that my husband has no interest in what-so-ever. I acted as youth councillor for a number of years, leading trips across the country, having youth-nights once a week and generally being very busy organizing and running events. I was able to remain committed because I thought it was important enough to justify time away from my family. I was helping young kids discover their faith. That to me was very important and I had committed to running their group. It is a balancing act, but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself what your priorities are. If something is going to make you a better person, or has the potential to benefit countless others, it will ultimately benefit your family. Showing true commitment and dedication to something you believe in can be a great example for your spouse, children and extended family. But the trick is that it has to be something that you believe in.

Getting those you care about involved in your causes is a great way to add balance. My Mom and Julia came and watched our practice yesterday and they really enjoyed it. It makes them feel a part of things too and they see why it's so important (although whether Julia understands this yet is doubtful, but she liked all of the colours and noise!). Bringing your family along on your journey helps you stay connected with them and you get to know each other in different ways.
I know this may sound like idealized gunk, but I think it's true.

I'm excited now because I'm starting to see the dragon dance group really pull together and become a great team. I know the I Ho Chuan guys already have a team thing going on and that the dragon dance team was also in chinese new year, but it's still neat to see a group of people coming together for a single purpose.
It's really inspiring to see.