Booming drums fill Washington University’s Wrighton Hall as students practice their routine to ring in the Lunar New Year.
Matthew Du, 20 of Minneapolis, co-choreographer of WashU Lion Dance team, stops the rhythmic clamor and holds his hands above his head, mimicking holding up a lion head. With drumsticks in hand, he instructs two teams of lion dancers on the style of movement for the choreography and drums: rigid and intentional — the heartbeat of the lion dance.
The lion dance has long been part of Chinese culture, dating to the Qin and Han dynasties. Once a religious ceremony, it has transformed into a pivotal tradition of Asian celebrations, such as Lunar New Year, which will be largely celebrated on Saturday.
Marking the start of spring, Lunar New Year is a time of fresh starts and new beginnings. Just as lion dance was to drive away mythical creatures during the Qing Dynasty, it’s used today to ward off ill-intentioned spirits. The tradition is woven throughout St. Louis for generations, despite the relocation of Asian residents in the city.
St. Louis once had a thriving Chinese neighborhood in Downtown nicknamed, “Hop Alley.” But in 1966, it was demolished in order to build Busch Memorial Stadium, displacing residents throughout the city, many of whom settled near Olive Boulevard near Washington University. Today, the school’s AAPI student population is about 14%.
“We perform at many different events hosted by various Asian student organizations and aim to add certain traditional aspects,” Du said. “Most students have not seen [a] lion dance before. Many call them dragons, so having many opportunities to perform allows us to spread awareness.”
Lion dance is often mistaken for Chinese dragon dance, which usually requires several performers depending on its length. The belief with that dance is that the longer the dragon, the more wealth of luck will be brought to the community.
Forming in the early 2010s, the WashU Lion Dance troupe relies largely on passing down routines from student choreographers who take the helm of the group. In addition, the choreography isn’t standardized by any one school of thought but more by what the team is capable of and inspired by what it sees from other groups.
“Learning and practicing lion dance not only means cultivating my own appreciation for the history and significance of lion dance, but also spreading the tradition so that it can continue long into the future,” said Wenting Yu, the 20-year-old WashU Lion Dance co-choreographer from New Rochelle, New York. “I like to think that I’m connected to all the other lion dancers of the world, past, present, and future, all linked by the thread of knowledge that forms the basis of the dance, yet each forming our own unique version.”
The opportunity to introduce St. Louis’ community to Asian culture is one of the reasons that Paul Lee, 53, founded the International Shaolin Wushu Center in St. Ann.
Born in Vietnam, Lee grew up watching lion dance troupes perform in the streets during Tết Nguyên Đánết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. From its conception, he wanted to include lion dance into his school, even if it was just for fun. But soon community businesses, like Lu Lu Seafood & Dim Sum, started requesting performances during Lunar New year celebrations.
Lee was reluctant at first because of a limited roster, but he knew how important lion dance was to the tradition.
“People in the community want something to do to represent the new year,” he said.
The martial arts-based group is more traditional in its methods, largely performing at businesses to bless them for the new year, search for and “eat” 莴苣 (lettuce) — a Chinese word that phonetically sounds similar to wealth.
Lee’s group is one of the few wushu, or Chinese martial arts, teams in the St. Louis area, as well as one of the longest serving. He offers free lion dance classes every Sunday with the hope of finding new talent to join the team.
While lion dance can be demanding and requires a strong physical foundation, Lee hopes it passes on a quickly growing population’s vital cultural tradition. Amanda Ha, a 15-year-old performer from Overland, remembers seeing one of Lee’s early performances at Lu Lu Seafood & Dim Sum — she was hooked.
“I wanted to do something that was rooted to my people and make not only my family proud, but also to represent Chinese culture.”
See photos below from St. Louis Public Radio photojournalist Eric Lee.
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