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With a mixture of ferocity and finesse, three ancient lion costumes sway side by side, swaying their bodies and stomping their feet. Underneath each costume, two members of the Spring Joy Lion Dance Troupe shuffle back and forth endlessly, until each step is precise and in time to the beat of a drum.
The spectacle is common in San Jose’s Royaltree Circle neighborhood — especially around Lunar New Year, when the troupe rigorously prepares for dozens of lion dance performances set to dazzle people across the South Bay.
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“We have anywhere from three to four shows every weekend,” said Eva Luong, co-director of the troupe. “For the next month and a half, we’ll have about 20.”
The number of Lunar New Year performances is a record for the small 13-member team, which was formed in 2022 and holds its weekly practices across the street from Luong’s parents’ home in Royaltree.
As the troupe begins a series of pre-routine exercises, Luong looks on with pride. “This is all voluntary, none of us get paid at all,” she said. “We do this to be able to continue the culture of the lion dance.”
On January 29, approximately two billion people around the world will celebrate the Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Snake with festivities, fireworks and traditional foods.
Around the Bay Area, which has one of the largest Chinese-American communities in the United States, lion dance troupes like Joyous Spring are rushing to showcase their skills in hundreds of holidays related to the New Year – especially in the major cities of the South and East Bay, and especially in San Francisco, which boasts the largest Lunar New Year parade in the country and attracts an audience of millions.
The lion dance is a time-honored tradition in many Asian cultures; participants dressed as lions in colorful cartoons imitate the movements of the beasts using elements of martial arts and acrobatics. No dance is complete without the accompanying sounds of drums, cymbals and gongs.
Lion dances can be seen during special occasions, such as weddings, birthdays and store openings, and symbolize luck and fortune. They are also an integral part of ushering in the new year, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, and honoring a new sign of the Chinese Zodiac.
On a recent Saturday night in San Francisco’s Richmond district, Tony Shiu dons a bright red and yellow lion costume and walks his way down 39th Avenue, where his West Coast Lion dance troupe is based in Daly City is performing at the district’s Lunar New Year. parade and welcome the arrival of the newly elected chairman Daniel Lurie.
The event is just one of a long list of weekend concerts by the band. They are expected to attend 60 private events and grace more than 150 stores in San Francisco and Daly City with their dance from January 28 through the end of February. The West Coast also participates annually in San Francisco’s Lunar New Year parade, which takes place on February 15.
The schedule is demanding, but Shiu, who is 63 and has been dancing for almost 50 years, is determined to continue coaching and training with the West Coast team. Shiu said he enjoys sharing the story of the lion dance and seeing the audience’s excited expressions as the lions come to life.
“My goal is to share my knowledge with them,” said Shiu. “I see the look on their faces, oftentimes I see them shaking their heads because they realize it’s a little bit more than just this costume dancing around.”
The origin of the lion dance stems from a legend in Chinese mythology, where a monster called “Nian” – which translates to “year” in Mandarin – would terrorize a village. One day, the story goes, the villagers discovered that Nian was afraid of loud noises, fire and the color red. They created a lion-like costume together, and when Nian appeared, two people in the costume attacked the beast, while other villagers set off firecrackers and banged pots and pans. Nian, scared, ran away.
Nowadays, the lion dance has a more symbolic meaning, said Jayde Wong, a leader and award-winning dancer for the San Francisco-based group LionDanceMe.
“We continue the lion dance because it’s a way to bring good luck and ward off any bad spirits for the new year,” she said.
LionDanceMe’s pride has also been on the move. From January to February, the approximately 150 members will perform in more than 300 shows, half of the total number of shows they will do in a year. Their clients range from primary schools and senior centers to small businesses and large technology companies.
“It’s always a lot of fun to see how these different audiences from different backgrounds perceive our performance,” Wong said.
On Jan. 29 alone, they will do 60 shows — the most the group has ever done on Lunar New Year, Wong said. On that day, the members will be divided into 11 teams and travel to different cities, performing every hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To keep track of the great migration, Wong created an Excel spreadsheet that lists each team’s location and show time.
“It’s a really, really crazy time for us right now,” she said, in a recent phone call between shows.
Back at Royaltree, the Joyous Spring troupe continues to practice in the driveway. As the sky darkens, they turn on their portable outdoor light and go through their routine for an unseen audience. Just before the new year, Luong asks the members what they look forward to most about the performance. Their answers are usually the same, she said.
“A lot of times they say, ‘I want to make the elderly happy,’ or ‘I like to play with the kids and see them light up,'” Luong said. “That’s what we look forward to the most, community interaction.”
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