Animal Kung Fu

Tiger Style

The Tiger style is characterised by its extensive footwork,acrobatic kicks, low, wide stances, and unique fist position (where the thumb is curled in the same manner as the other fingers, rather than wrapped around them). According to Master Shi Yan Xiu, this style is the most externally focused style in the Shaolin arsenal. The longer the student practices, however, the more he or she will come to rely solely on internal power.

Crane Style

The focus of the White Crane style is to make less use of physical strength, stressing evasion and strategic attacks to vulnerable areas instead. This style is especially well-suited for women's self defence as it is not purely strength-based.

Snake Style

The Snake style is on the fluidity of the movements. Straight punches, butterfly palms, the hook, upper cut, and back fist are the primary cornerstones of this technique. Thrusting fingers resembling snake attacks is one of the distinguishing features of this form, hence the name "Snake Style."

There are multiple kick techniques including below-the-knee kicks. There are six fist sets, two stick sets, single sword, short double swords, and other traditional weapons.

Leopard Style

The Leopard style is on speed and angular attacks. The leopard does not rely solely on strength like the Tiger, but instead relies on speed and outsmarting the opponent., The Leopard practitioner will focus on his or her elbows, knees, low kicks, and Leopard punches in order to build speed.

Dragon Style

The Dragon style is based on a variety of fighting techniques that can be employed for a wide range of needs. The style uses techniques that can cripple or kill an opponent if the need arises or it can be used simply to control a minor street fighting situation.

Lung Ying (Dragon Shadow) focuses mainly on powerful, short range attacks. Its usage of grip and seize techniques as well as its extensive use of the forearms offensively and defensively is one of its unique features. The style was created as an aggressive combat art and operates under the assumption that you are trying either to disable your opponent to the point that they are no longer a threat in battle, or kill them, though these are by no means the only options a Lung Ying practitioner has at his disposal.

Lung Ying employs a large number of techniques to damage the opponent's joints either through joint manipulation or direct striking, or nullify the opponent's defences either through breaking their stance or compromising their guard. Compared to other styles, there are few kicks and jumps. Emphasis is rather laid upon fist, palm and claw techniques. Power is generated from the waist.

Lung Ying training also involves an extensive amount of iron body training. Hardening the forearms especially is considered essential for this style as it makes such extensive use of them. Master Shi Yan Kiu uses a range of traditional training methods to toughen the body. Three, five and seven star conditioning drills, pea buckets, weighted ropes, sand bags, and striking poles are all exercises common to this particular style.

Monkey Style

Monkey style is one of the more acrobatic styles. Movements often include falling, lunging, grabbing, jumping, and tumbling. The staff plays a prominent role in weapons training, with practitioners using it to attack, defend themselves or climb it like a pole in order to gain a height advantage during combat.

The flamboyant movements and sometimes comic actions of the monkey style have made it a popular style.

Praying Mantis Style

The Praying Mantis style focuses on "sticky hands" - the use of the forearms with the elbows tucked into the chest, the claw-like fingers and the quick explosive actions visually resemble the movements of a praying mantis preparing to strike its prey.

Capoeira

Capoeira is a dance-like martial art of Brazil, performed to the accompaniment of call-and-response choral singing and percussive instrumental music. It is most strongly associated with the country’s northeastern region.


The basic aesthetic elements of capoeira were brought to Brazil by slaves, primarily from west and west-central Africa. These elements were recombined and reinterpreted within the diverse slave community of Brazil to create a unique means of self defense, both driven and disguised—as merely a dance—by its musical accompaniment. Slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888, but capoeira continued to flourish within the Afro-Brazilian population, particularly in the northeastern state of Bahia. The government, however, recognizing the physical and spiritual potency of the art form and considering it a threat to society, continued to outlaw the practice until the early 20th century.

Capoeira is best described not as a dance but as a sport in which the participants—historically, sometimes with blades strapped to their ankles or held between their toes—swing their legs high in attack, perform aerial somersaults, and pass within a hairsbreadth of each other’s knees, head, groin, or stomach. Flexibility, stamina, rapidity of movement, and malicia(deception) are more important than sheer muscular strength. Although marked by the use of graceful, fluid, and often acrobatic movements as a means to escape rather than block an attack, the “game” of capoeira, as it is called by its practitioners, can nonetheless be lethal when contact is actually made with a well-timed, well-placed blow.
In current practice, two opponents face each other within the roda—a circle of capoeiristas (practitioners of capoeira)—emulating in a stylized manner the strikes and parries of combat, in time with the rhythms of a small musical ensemble. Music is indeed integral to the practice of capoeira. The ensemble typically consists of one to three berimbaus (struck musical bows), one or two atabaques (single-headed, standing, conical drums), a pandeiro (tambourine), an agogô (double bell), and sometimes also a reco-reco (scraped bamboo tube), all of which accompany call-and-response songs, usually led by one of the berimbau players.

Since about the 1930s in the state of Bahia and somewhat later in Rio de Janiero, clubs have trained students in precise kicking, passing, and strategic deception. In the late 20th century capoeira began to gain an international following, and by the early 21st century active clubs existed in many cities throughout the world. Moreover, the art had gained many highly skilled female practitioners, though in its early years capoeira was an exclusively male domain.

MEHNDI ART

Mehndi (Hindi:मेहँदी) or menhdi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration in India, as well as by expatriate communities from the country. The word mehndi is derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā.^[1] The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in the earliest Vedic ritual books. Haldi(Staining oneself with turmeric paste) as well as mehndi are important Vedic customs as a symbolic representation of the Outer and the Inner Sun. Vedic customs are meant to awaken the "inner light and so the gold of the inner Sun has an important symbolic function.

Traditional mehndi designs draw the sun on the palm, which in this context represents the mind. Mehndi decorations became fashionable in the West in the late 1990s, where they are sometimes called henna tattoos. Henna is typically applied during special occasions like weddings and Hindu festivals like Karva Chauth, Diwali, Bhaidooj and Teej. In some Hindu festivals, every woman tries to have Henna done on her hands and feet. It is usually drawn on the palms and feet, where the color will be darkest because the skin contains higher levels of keratin which binds temporarily to lawsone, the colorant of henna. Henna was originally used as a form of decoration mainly for brides.

In the modern age, usually people buy readymade Henna cones, which are ready to use and make painting easy. However, in rural areas in India, women grind fresh henna leaves on sil (grinding stone) with added oil, which though not as refined as professionally prepared henna cones, brings much darker colors.

The term henna tattoo is figurative, because true tattoos are permanent surgical insertions of pigments underneath the skin, as opposed to pigments resting on the surface as is the case with mehndi.
Likely due to the desire for a "tattoo-black" appearance, many people have started adding the synthetic dye p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) to henna to give it a black colour. PPD is extremely harmful to the skin and can cause severe allergic reactions resulting in permanent injury or death.^[2] Alata (Mahur) is a flower-based dye used to paint the feet of the brides in some regions of India. It is still used in Bengal.
these are some of the beautiful mehndi designs.

MASKS OF THE WORLD

These masks are worn in rituals, social and religious functions, where participants wear them to represent spiritual or legendary figures. In some cultures it is also believed that by wearing of a mask will allow the wearer to take on the attributes of that mask's representation; i.e., a leopard-mask will induce the wearer to become leopard-like. More info below :-

AUSTRALIAN MASK

From the Land Down Under

Rituals are enacted in a lively tradition of dance, painting and music. The Australian tribes paint on cave walls (as early as 25,000 years ago, recent research suggests), on wooden implements and on strips of eucalyptus bark. Their style has one very unusual characteristic; in depicting a living creature the artists like to include the unseen bones and organs within. Delighting to know Australians have their own mask.

 

AZTEK MASK 

Central American Zone.

The Aztecs often designed their masks to represent the face of a deity.Masks bearing the faces of these powerful idols were a key part of many ceremonies. The Aztecs often used these masks as a part of religious rituals. Some rituals made use of masks as a way to harness the power of beings such as deities, or ancient ancestors. Masks had many different uses, but most were ceremonial. Dancers wore masks, and the masks were sometimes worn by priests as well.

 

CHINA MASK

A Theater Tradition

Masks have been a universal part of the human experience from the earliest of recorded time to the present day. Mask making is one of the first and longest lasting forms of artistic expression, used among ancient societies in surprisingly similar ways, despite separation over vast distances and historical time. Masks have been used to express and explore emotions, to contact a spiritual world through ritual performances, for group identity, and for bringing good fortune. All of these purposes are found in the masks of China, a nation that has a very long and rich tradition of mask making that continues to this day. 

 

EGYPTIAN MASK

From the Land of the Pyramides

Traditional art describes the most popular and studied forms of African art which are typically found in museum collections. Wooden masks, which might either be human or animal, are one of the most commonly found forms of art in western Africa. In their original contexts, ceremonial masks are used by actors and dancers in religious, political or social performances. 

 

GREEK MASK

Drama and Comedy

The mask symbolized the power of Dionysus--the transformation of an individual from the state of reserve to one of frenzy (see Maenad). The cult of Dionysus sought to give reign to the darker personna of an individual. Theatre images were popular in Greek and Roman Art, especially in the late Roman empire.

 

INDIAN MASK

Heroes and Gods of the Ramayan Epic

In India the use of masks is found in dance rituals, dramas, folk songs, temples, and different socio-cultural practices . In South India masks are worn by Kathakali Dancers, to depict good and evil characters from Hindu epics. Masks find an important place in Hindu festival celebration such as Durga Puja, Dasera, Ram Navami. 

 

JAPANESE MASK

A Way of Living

Immerse yourself in the story of Japanese culture and history as told through masks, which uses range from popular entertainment such as noh drama to religious rituals and courtly performing arts. There are nearly eighty different and distinct characters depicted by the masks used by traditional Noh performers.
Only a few skilled Japanese craftsmen have the ability to create authentic Noh masks using the traditional Japanese wood carving techniques. Master carvers in Japan must commit their work to individual Noh performers, so very little time is permitted for making extra masks for collectors. Making a Noh masks is a labor-intensive process that can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months from start to finish. 

 

KENYAN MASK

From the African Land

In Kenya and all over Africa, Tribal masks are used during initiations, rituals, marriages, harvest seasons, and ceremonies as well as to communicate with the ancestors. Masks have also be used to discipline women, children, and criminals or represent ancestors; the masks symbolize sanction control when worn. 

 

MAYAN MASK

The Lost Paradise

Mayan masks were usually worn in special ceremonies or at deaths. When the Maya buried their great leaders and rulers they made a mask out of jade. Death masks were used to identify the dead person so wandering spirits could not find its body. Many Maya lords wore masks that resembled animals of the jungle. 

 

 

PERUVIAN MASK

From the Highlands of the Andes

Many Andean dances use masks as part of the dancer's costume. The most common motifs include demons, angels, blacks (negritos), Spaniards (españoles) and all kinds of animals. Masks are made from a range of materials that are as varied as their place of origin:plaster, leather, wood, wire sheeting and tin. The most typical masks include those of the Piro culture, the parlampan , the auquis of Ancash, the jija huanca, the huacones of the central highlands and the famous demons of the seven deadly sins of Puno. 

 

TIKI MASK

A Polynesian Lifestyle

According to Maori mythology it is widely believed that the Maori Tiki represents the unborn human embryo. And in Maori culture this represents a particularly powerful spirit for warding off bad luck, and as such it is regarded as a good luck charm. It is also known to be a symbol of fertility. Many years ago the most valuable tikis were hand carved from greenstone, and were handed down through the generations as treasured possessions. The Tiki today is carved in a range of materials from greenstone and beef bone pendants through to small to medium statutes or wall hangings made from native New Zealand timbers. 

 

VIETNAMESE MASK

From the Traditional Vietnamese Theatre

In the traditional Vietnamese theater each actor is responsible for the preparation of his own makeup; and except for the Tho dia (God of the earth) who wears a real mask, all masks are painted on the very faces of the actors. Vietnamese Decoration Masks

are usually made by vietnamese traditional material:

bamboo, coconut, and lacquer. There are different

figures and have different emotions. Each one expresses an emotion of one character.