Lion dances come to the US

According to a 2013 research paper written by Benji Chang for his PhD program at Columbia University, when Southern Chinese began migrating to the US en masse in the mid-1800s, they brought the lion dance with them.

San Francisco, the first major settlement for migrant Chinese, became the birthplace of lion dances in the US.

By the turn of the century, "southern lion dance is often performed in areas with large Chinese communities like California, Hawaii, New York and Texas," wrote Chang.

In the 19th century, lion dances were also brought to Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore by a large migration from Southern China.

As a result, lion dances have become a tradition in a short span of a century in Southeast Asia. In 2024, China and Malaysia jointly nominated it for UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.

The initiative aims to recognize the cultural importance and diversity of the lion dance, ensuring its preservation and promotion, according to the two countries.

Subsequently, lion dances in the US have been enriched by communities of immigrants from Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Malaysia, and the styles have evolved.

Today in the US, lion dances reflect a mixture of the Heshan and Foshan lions in drumming patterns, lion head designs and footwork. Some incorporate choreography from Singapore and Malaysia, according to Chang.

"Utilizing shorter tails, lighter construction materials, and flashier colors and designs, this hybrid lion dance has been popularized by the annual Genting World Lion Dance Championship in Malaysia where teams perform highly stylized set routines on top of poles and wires," Chang said.

Connection to heritage and people

Continuing the tradition of Southern China, lion dances have been an integral part of US kung fu schools. Some family or town associations, cultural groups and temples in the US have their own lion troupes, Chang's research found.

He also discovered that in recent decades, there has been a proliferation of lion dance troupes across colleges where there is a significant Chinese or Southeast Asian presence. This includes notable universities like Purdue, Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Rice.

UCLA, a college with a large Asian student body, has at least two lion dance troupes — ACA Lion Dance and Jade Lotus Lion Dance.

For many, doing lion dances is a way to connect to their own culture.

"This team has really shown me a side of Chinese culture that I feel really proud to connect with and also showcase to communities all around Los Angeles," ACA Lion Dance coordinator Samuel Lu once told LAist, a Southern California online news platform.

Elyne Cheng, a student at Houston Shaolin Kung Fu Academy, has performed lion dances at weddings and many other events for years.

Cheng, primarily a wushu competitor, said wushu demands her skill, and lion dances demand her strength.

"Sometimes the lion dances would go on for more than two hours. You really need mental strength to go on."

Lunar New Year is a fun time for many students, said Cheng.

"Every single time we hit January, everyone gets pumped up because for some it's the biggest event of the year. We have competitions, but Lunar New Year is where everyone can have fun. Everyone hangs out with each other."

For Cheng, time spent with other kung fu students during carpools, performance breaks, and when they sit in a circle to pick the shredded paper from firecrackers off the lion heads have generated "good memories".

Taking care of the lion heads, especially after all the firecrackers, is no easy task, said Cheng.

"We would pick out the tiny papers hand by hand with a fork. It was bad, all over," Cheng said. "We'd sit, after performances, in a circle with drinks, cleaning up and talking. We are just having fun for the Lunar New Year, and everyone remembers these kinds of things."

Another student, Aldric Tanzio, said that he loved the Chinese New Year season because students who had left the school would often come back to help perform lion dances.

Beyond Chinese tradition

In China, lion dances are primarily performed during Chinese New Year and other traditional festivals such as the Lantern Festival, the dragon boat race, Buddhist celebrations and temple fairs, and for businesses.

The meaning of the lion dance has surpassed its Chinese roots in the US. They are performed to celebrate Lunar New Year, for the grand opening of a business and at various fairs just like in China. Moreover, lion dances have become a cultural ambassador for the communities.

Besides the bright colors, loud drums, marvelous dances and joys that lion dances bring, Lara said that he organized lion dances at Walmart because the company wants to "create a relationship with the community".

"It's like, hey, we know what's important to you, and we want to show you that by celebrating that with you," he said.

According to Shi, businesses such as major grocery chains HEB and Kroger's, local oil companies, the City of Houston, and public institutions like MD Anderson Cancer Center have invited his team to perform lion dances in the past two decades for all sorts of occasions.

"We have also performed at primary schools — mostly for their international fairs — and colleges. One year, we taught students how to do lion dances at a high school for a couple of days."

In 2023, the lion dance made its debut in the White House when former president Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden hosted the first White House Lunar New Year reception.

Jill Biden, dressed in a red qipao, referenced major elements of Lunar New Year traditions in her speech: "As we sweep the grounds of this last year, as we tear the passed-down legend of the terrible monster Nian … we can see the hope of each new year just the same: in blazing red couplets on the door frames, in tables overflowing with food from old family recipes, in windows that glow with lantern light."

Many lion dance teams are busy during the Lunar New Year month, often performing 40 or so shows. However, the demand for them is year-round because many Americans want lion dances at their birthday parties and weddings.

Requests for lion dances at weddings began more than a decade ago, said Shi.

"It started when some family members of our students were getting married. We didn't give it much thought at first. We went to express our well wishes with the usual dance routine to create a celebratory atmosphere," he said.

As requests for wedding performance grew, Shi began to adapt the choreography to fit the occasion. A decade of tweaks has seen their wedding lion dances gradually mature.

"First, a pair of male and female lions escort the groom and bride to make their grand entrance and to their seats. Then, our lions begin to dance and flirt with each other. After a while, the female lion gets tired and sits down. The male lion goes to encourage her to get up, and they begin to chase after each other. Then, they invite the groom and the bride to stand before them, and both pairs kiss at the same time," Shi said.

After the kisses, a baby lion would appear to dance with all. It symbolizes the traditional wedding wish "may you have a baby soon", said Shi. "Our lion dances tell the story of love and people are usually very touched at the end."

Shi said his team is getting more requests to perform for weddings. "We have about eight to 10 wedding engagements a year. Our customers are diverse including both Asians and non-Asians."