Lion Dance

Slice at Two Writing Teachers

This Sunday, my husband and I met my mom for dinner because my dad was out of town.  By pure chance, we decided to eat at our favorite Chinese restaurant. (forgetting that Monday was Chinese New Year!)  When we got there, the usual placemats were replaced with the Chinese Zodiac and we giggled over the descriptions of each other's signs.  (Some were hilariously accurate!)  "What an appropriate place to eat dinner!" we realized.  We didn't know how appropriate -- even lucky -- we were.

 Partway through dinner, I noticed one of the waiters hanging something from the ceiling of the dining room. It looked to be a little pale green paper bag.  (We later found out it was lettuce!)  Hmmm, I thought. Maybe they're going to do something with it for Chinese New Year? Cool!  I didn't even say anything though -- who knew, maybe it would be long after we were gone.  We finished eating and were getting ready to leave, when all of a sudden:

pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)
pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)

swirls of red and white
dancing fringe
swaying wildly
HUGE EYES
GAPING MOUTH
open shut open shut

pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)
pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)

the lion enters
stepping feet
snaking body
scary? no!

friendly, curious

pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)
pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)

beautiful, intricate, mesmerizing

pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)
pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)

My mom took this with her phone.  That's my shoulder!

swirling feet
friendly head tilts
joking mouth
open shut open shut

PUM, PUM, PUM (CRASH, CRASH)
PUM, PUM, PUM (CRASH, CRASH)

precarious climb
triumphant plucking
silly, messy, chewing lettuce

pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash) 
pum, pum, pum (crash, crash, crash)

snaking away
beautiful swirls
giant head tossing

pum, pum, pum (crash...

It was one of the coolest surprises I've ever experienced!  I've always been enchanted by other cultures (one reason I'm a Spanish/ELL teacher!) and this is one of those things you hear about but don't think you'll ever get to see. It was exotic and foreign, and yet inviting and welcoming.  I wanted to know all about it!  What did it mean?  I poured over information online as soon as we got home.  I found out that we witnessed a lion dance (not a dragon like I thought), something often performed by Chinese martial arts troupes around Chinese New Year for good luck.  (I had noticed that the drummers/cymbal players wore shirts from a local Kung Fu academy.)  An amazing glimpse into a totally different way of life!