The newly formed West Windsor Plainsboro Youth Lion Dance Association’s debut performance is at the West Windsor Library on Saturday, June 17, featuring the traditional Chinese lion dance eye-dotting ceremony, from 2 to 3 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.
Valerie Chan, 15, a freshman at High School North, organized the group, which includes freshman classmates Luyu Zheng, Jim Zhang, Kirbi Marquez, Brian Kwok, Nick Wu, Hon Fong, Jaime Pinto, Christopher SanPedro, and Jon SanPedro.
The lion dance plays an important role in the consecration of temples, business openings, weddings, and other special occasions. “We are trying to combine the strength and ferocity of the southern lion with the playful tenderness of the northern lion,” Valerie says.
“It was extremely hard to start out,” says Valerie, who has been studying lion dancing since she was 10. “It took a while to persuade enough people to join, and it took even longer to educate and train them to be prepared for a show,”
Valerie’s father, Thomas Chan, a martial instructor and lion dance coach at the Chinese Heritage School in South Brunswick, began teaching his daughter martial arts when she was young and the art of lion dancing when she was 10.
“Early this year Valerie came to me with the idea of forming a lion dance group comprised of people in her age group,” he says. “She wanted the purpose to be to perform for the West Windsor and Plainsboro communities and to promote Chinese culture.”
“I decided to pass both my martial arts and lion dancing knowledge as well as the equipment to support the cause,” he says. “As a lion dance coach I have strong affiliations with lion dance associations based in both New York City and San Francisco and was able to acquire both the costumes and the instruments at an extremely reasonable price.”
“The foundation of Lion Dancing is rooted deep in Chinese Kung-Fu, and the quality of the performance depends on the dancer’s stamina, power, and skill in the art,” said Thomas Chan.
An ancient tradition practiced for more than 1,”000 years, the dance dates back to the early Ch’in and Han dynasties in the third century BC, and later trickled down to common villagers and Buddhist monks who practiced martial arts. “The Southern Chinese view the Lion Dance as strong, powerful, and fierce, while the Northern Chinese Lion is playful, life-like, acrobatic,’ says Thomas Chan.
Valerie was born in New York City and has been attending West Windsor-Plainsboro schools since she was in first grade. An honors student, she was captain of the freshman field hockey team and played lacrosse. Active in Queenship of Mary Church, she will teach vocational bible school during the summer to young children.
The family moved to West Windsor nine years ago. Her father, a CPA, works for the State of New Jersey. Her mother, Josephine Chan, works as an analyst on Wall Street. Her sister, Victoria, 10, is a student at Village School, and her brother, Vincent, 6, is a Dutch Neck student.
“It’s a small group of people, but we’re dedicated to the art and willing to learn,” Valerie said. “West Windsor Plainsboro is extremely fortunate to have such a diverse community.”
Chinese Lion Dance, West Windsor Plainsboro Youth Lion Dance Association, West Windsor Library, 609-799-0462. Free. Saturday, June 17, 2 p.m.
