Lion Dancing is one of the oldest cultural arts of the Chinese people. It dates back to the Tang Dynasty, around 800A.D. The origin of the lion dance lay in the restless dreams of the Emperor of the time. The Emperor had a dream in which he was being attacked by his enemies, but just as he was about to be overtaken, he was saved by a mysterious creature.
When he woke, the Emperor tried to tell his counselors about this fabulous beast that had saved him, but no one could tell him what it was. Finally, one counselor said that it sounded like a creature that could be found in the West- a lion. Lions are not native to China, so none of the counselors had seen this beast with their own eyes. Thus, the Chinese lion was created by combining the features of the dragon and the phoenix.
Because the lion had saved the Emperor, the lion was considered to be good luck, and so the lion dance evolved as a way to encourage good luck and ward off bad luck.Lion dancing is now traditionally performed at Chinese New Year, parades, weddings, when a new baby is born or a new business opens.
The Eastern Ways Lion Dance Team performs all across Northern California and beyond.
Eastern Ways Martial Arts® is proud of its champion Lion Dance Team, known for its energetic and engaging performances. The Eastern Ways Lion Dance Team has performed all over Northern California and beyond, and is always ready to add another lion dance to their schedule.
Eastern Ways' Lion Dance Team regularly performs at a number of venues, such as the Chinese New Year's Parade in San Francisco, the Double Ten Parade in San Francisco, the California State Fair, the Pacific Rim Street Festival in Sacramento, and others. The Eastern Ways Lion Dance Team also performs regularly for organizations such as Sacramento City College and the Vacaville Chinese Cultural Association. Eastern Ways' Lion Dance Team performs lion dances for all major Plum Blossom Federation events, such as tournament, banquets, and expositions. The Lion Dance Team has also performed at weddings, multicultural days, grand openings, red egg and ginger parties, birthdays, and even womens' days with our all-female performance group.
Eastern Ways Martial Arts is also proud of its Children's Lion Dance Team, which regularly performs at most lion dance events. These children range from the ages of 3-17, and work as hard as the adults to put on a fun and exciting performance. The Children's Lion Dance Team gives kids a chance to learn a cultural art that has been Chinese tradition for over 1000 years. Lion dancing is great fun, and also teaches children how to develop physical strength and flexibility, confidence and teamwork.
