On November 9th 2019, martial artists, fans and action film stars and skinny little lizards claiming to be last dragons, attended the 7th Annual Urban Action Showcase and Expo (UASE) at the AMC Theater in Times Square, New York. The mega martial arts entertainment event, featured demos, screenings, Q and A panels, independent films, video games, comic books, cosplay, and retro and current film stars. For fans of The Last Dragon, the expo also celebrated the upcoming 35th anniversary of the film and provided a glimpse of more to come in the future.
What is the Urban Action Showcase & Expo?
The Urban Action Showcase and Expo started in 2013, it was created by martial artist and actor, Demetrius Angelo. He intended to promote and acknowledge diversity in action movies, but also change the narrative of Black people in film. The award show has been a continued success and is recognized as the premier martial arts entertainment event in the United States, attracting practitioners, filmmakers, and fans from across the country.
Passing The Mantle of The Black Dragon
The event was preceded by a historical VIP award show on Friday, November 8th, that acknowledged a new Black Dragon. Hall of Fame martial artist Ron Van Clief passed the mantle of “Black Dragon” to Michael Jai White. The title was bestowed on Van Clief by Bruce Lee in 1971. Van Clief was one of Taimak’s teachers and also handled fight choreography for The Last Dragon.
Four Dragons and the Council of The Masters
The four dragons of film, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Cynthia “Lady Dragon” Rothrock, Taimak “The Last Dragon”, Ron Van Clief “The Black Dragon” and a council of Martial Arts Masters from across the country signed a certificate, recognizing Michael Jai White as the new “Black Dragon”.
The Council of martial arts masters included Oso Tayari Casel, Grandmaster Lamarr Thornton, Sifu Robert Samuels, Sifu Vincent Lyn, Grand Master Bill McCloud, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, Grand Master David James, Sifu Alan Goldberg, Grandmaster Haisann Kaleak, Hanshi Rico Guy, Grandmaster Sam McGee, Lady Sensei Gerry Chisom, Grandmaster Gregory Duncan, Grandmaster Michael DePasquale Jr., Grandmaster Maurice Elmalem, Kyoshi Derrick Williams, O’Sensei Felix Vazquez and Shidoshi Glenn Perry.
Fred “The Hammer” Williamson
Veteran actor Fred Williamson was among the celebrities present. He took time to acknowledge the new Black Dragon, saying “It’s not easy being us, and we know what the “us” is. You have to take your goals, your concepts, and your ideas, in your own hands and provide your own motivation. You don’t get the help that other people get… We provide our own motivation. Do not look outside of yourself for energy or things that you want to do. Because it ain’t going to be there… Not too long ago, I watched Michael in a movie. I sent him a text message, I said ‘You’re growing as an actor’… I congratulate Michael, I have told him that. Again, I say to you, ‘Keep it up. Grow!’”
Ron Van Clief
Hall of fame martial artist turned actor, Ron Van Clief previously had the title of Black Dragon bestowed upon him by Bruce Lee in 1971.
He passionately spoke about passing his title to Jai White saying “ In 1973 I started making films as “The Black Dragon.” It’s been a long time… quite an interesting journey. As we get older, we want to make sure that our legacy continues. I’d like to take this opportunity to pass the mantle and title of Black Dragon to Michael Jai White.”
Michael Jai White
An emotional but composed Jai White addressed the crowd “What you’re seeing, is my heroes, here with me. What Sensei Gerry Chisom said is so apropos, so true in the fact that our images mean a great deal, in this medium that I have been so lucky to be a part of…To absorb what is happening today is beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve become that kid who saw the image of this man [Van Clief] right here, that inspired me. I said I want to be like that. The closest thing to a superhero at that time, in 78 or 79. I watched The Black Dragon, and I saw every screening of that movie until it left the theater. I started finding who I was in those images… I saw the images of Fred the Hammer Williamson, who inspires me still to this day in all his glory and power. I said ‘I want to be like that…. This is something that we all should celebrate together. You are my community, you inspire me. There is nothing that I will receive in Hollywood that will fulfill me anywhere near the way that this fulfills me. This is that kid in the movie theater.”
Red Carpet Correspondent’s Reaction to Michael Jai White’s Moving Speech
The Entire Passing The Mantle of The Black Dragon Ceremony
Includes words from Demetrius Angelo, Tayari Casel, Fred Williamson, Lady Sensei Gerry Chisom, Cynthia Rothrock, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Taimak, Ron Van Clief, and Michael Jai White.
The Expo
The action-packed Expo, which started at 10 am on Saturday, November 9th, took over a large section of the AMC Empire 25 Times Square Theaters and included a full day of action films, comic book and graphic artists, expert martial arts demonstrations, film panels and the celebration of several iconic films, including The Warriors 40th Anniversary and The Last Dragon which celebrated its 35th anniversary.
Ric Meyers on the 2019 UASE
Veteran martial arts film critic and writer, Ric Meyers spoke on the UASE saying “I’ve been to all of them. Every year it gets better. That’s why I keep coming back! What the Urban Action Showcase has are the people. The energy is great in the room… It’s the best place to meet, greet, and enjoy the best upcoming action film and martial arts movie makers and lovers in the whole cinematic world.”
Sifu Carl Albright on the UASE
Hall of Fame kung fu master Sifu Carl Albright, whose school was used as Leroy’s dojo in The Last Dragon, spoke on the expo and the historical awards show saying “It’s getting bigger and getting better. The more you do it, the better you get at it. We had a good awards ceremony last night. All of the masters were there… We had a who’s who of martial arts history there.”
Celebrities in Attendance
Celebrities at the expo included Nafessa Williams of Black Lightning, Michael Jai White, Taimak, Cynthia Rothrock, Don Wilson, Fred Williamson, Perry Yung (Father Jun in Cinemax’s Warrior), Celia Au (Ying Ying of Wu Assassins), Ron Van Clief, Robert Samuels (Made in China Town, Gambling Ghost), Vincent Lyn (Operation Condor), Ric Meyers, David Harris (Cochise in The Warriors), Brian Tyler (Snow in The Warriors), Dorsey Wright (Cleon in The Warriors) and David Worth (Director of Kickboxer).
Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks
Photo: Clarke Illmatical
One of the highlights of the expo was the screening of the documentary Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks, which not only discussed the development of martial arts films in Hong Kong but also their global impact, and how they have influenced so many cultures. The film gathered many celebrities on one panel, providing fans the opportunity to get more insight into the process of creating martial arts films.
Cynthia Rothrock, featured in the documentary, spoke on the UASE saying “It’s so important for us to come out here and meet people. Meet the fans, aspiring actors and actresses, stunt people. I love being a positive influence. A lot of people are just so eager to learn, appreciative of your work, and pick your brain for knowledge. I love that I can help someone on their journey.
The Last Dragon 35th Anniversary Celebration
An additional highlight of the expo was the 35th-anniversary screening of The Last Dragon, which included Taimak and talent from the film. There was also an appearance by the film’s writer Louis Venosta, who hinted at a continuation of the Last Dragon in the very near future, saying “It’s nice. I detached from this project for a long time. I love that it has taken on a life of its own. Something that I wrote still resonates with people. As a writer, I’m on to the next thing. In this case, that something else has to do with the Last Dragon.” *SIGN UP FOR UPDATES ON THIS UPCOMING PROJECT AT: THUNDERVERSE.CO
Daetrix and The Rise of The Last Dragon Animated Series
In addition, artist Daetrix was in attendance with several of the voice actors from his highly anticipated animated sequel to The Last Dragon entitled Rise of the Last Dragon. Speaking about the response to the animated series and his motivations for making it, he said “It’s been overwhelming. We got so much good reception. It started out as a fan project, an independent thing that wasn’t going to be this big. Once we launched it online all of the fans joined in and they motivated it to a full series… The Last Dragon, I saw it when I was five years old. Once I saw this movie, it changed my life. It meant so much to see people representing us on screen. My only hangup with the movie, I never got the part two that I always wanted.”
Craig “TheLastGlow” Sutton on the Growth of The Last Dragon Fandom
The screening of the film was moderated by Last Dragon Tribute editor and creator Craig Sutton, who spoke about what inspired him to create the website “I was always a fan since I was a kid. I thought I was the only one who liked this. I grew up in a small town. I made a little website in college, in 1996, a Geocities site with all things different things I was into. One of the pages was about The Last Dragon. Later on, I installed analytics and that page was getting all kinds of traffic… My high school yearbook ambition was to find Leroy Green… Eventually, I made a Last Dragon dedicated website, the site grew so much, Taimak found it and I started getting calls to come to conventions like the Urban Action Showcase to help with The Last Dragon related events.”
The Last Dragon Discussion Panel
The panel included Taimak (Bruce Leroy), Louis Venosta (Writer) the “Radio Smasher” actor, stuntman, and photographer, Rudy C. Jones and actress and photographer Lia Chang who played one of Leroy’s students. The panelists looked back on the film, discussed changes from Venosta’s original script, laughed, and also took time to reflect on Denise Matthews, Leo O’Brien, and Julius Carry. Stay tuned for the video…
photo: Clarke Illmatical
The Future of The Last Dragon?
Louis Venosta has hinted at continuing Bruce Leroy’s journey in the near future and the world is watching the progress of Daetrix’s animated series. It’s only a matter of time before the next phase of The Last Dragon begins! *SIGN UP FOR UPDATES ON THIS UPCOMING PROJECT AT: THUNDERVERSE.CO
The 2024 Urban Action Showcase & Expo
Missed the event this year? Worry not, Demetrius has already started preparing for next year’s epic action-packed event. I hear the celebration of the 40th anniversary of The Last Dragon is going to be epic! Check out what’s planned and get your tickets here-> UrbanActionShowcase.com
~Illmatical 無敵將軍
Clarke Illmatical (@masternever) is a writer from Queens, NY. He is the creator of the martial arts fantasy story, MASTERNEVER AND THE FLOW OF DEATH. His writing has appeared in The Amsterdam News, The Norwood News, Harlem Community News, and Queens Politics in New York City. In Asia, his work has been featured in The South China Morning Post, China Global Daily, TimeOut Hong Kong, The Phnom Penh Post, and E-China Cities.
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TheLastDragonTribute.com is an online community for fans of the 80’s Motown martial arts cult classic THE LAST DRAGON. Utilizing our web and social media presence the mission is to bring together fans from all over the world to help keep the Glow alive! We also delve into all things Bruce Lee and Martial Arts Entertainment.
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