A Lunar New Year celebration is never complete without a traditional lion dance to bring good luck. Each year, the Buddhist Tzu Chi San Gabriel Valley Service Center in El Monte invites volunteer dancers to perform the lion dance. Seniors Kelvin Chuong, Michael del Carmen, Eric Gunn, Tony Lim, Kyle Luu, Clinton Quach, Brian Wei, Junior Justin Chen, and Sophomore Miles Liu began rehearsals at the Service Center in January. They meet every Sunday for about two hours.
The group recently performed at the Cerritos Center for Performing Arts on Jan. 31 and at the Tzu Chi Clinic of Wilmington on Feb. 1. The group is currently preparing for their last two performances at Tzu Chi Chinese School in Monrovia on Feb. 22 and at Longden Elementary on Feb. 25.
As the symbol for courage, power and good fortune, the lion chases away evil spirits during its dance. Wei has the role of holding up and waving the lion head. However, the group did not perform as well as they would have liked to at Cerritos.
“We screwed up,” Wei said. “But the audience can’t tell so it’s a-okay.”
This lion dance is also often accompanied by cymbals, gongs and drums to scare away bad luck. The drum represents the lion’s roar and sets its mood. A fast and loud beat will signify excitement and anger. A slow and soft beat represents sadness and cautiousness. These instruments synchronize to the lion’s movements. This year, Chen decided to volunteer to play the gong for the first time.
“It was really fun,” Chen said. “It was also nice to be able to get CSL hours while hanging out with my brothers. It was also funny because I got to see my friend Tony dance like an epic head. It’s nice to get to try new things.”
Dating back to the Han and Tang Dynasties, the lion dance involves two performers, one at the head and one at the tail. Although there are many different styles of lion dancing, all movements mimic the lion and are based on Kung Fu. The lion is often accompanied by a laughing Buddha played by a performer donning a painted mask and a robe. The Buddha’s role is to interact with the crowd and to tease the lion.
This dance is often performed on the streets and as the lion moves from place to place, it looks for green vegetables, which are often hung above the doors of houses and businesses. The lion then “eats” the lettuce and scatters the leaves around, symbolizing the spread of good luck for the new year.
“The best part is seeing the actual performance all come together because it’s pretty funny and entertaining,” Del Carmen said. “The worst part would be the amount of practice. I learned that playing the percussion is pretty hard, but it is still probably easier than actually being the lion.”