A Royal Performance: The lion is king in the traditional Chinese Dance
04/09/2000
By Elena Gaon, Advertising Writer / The Dallas Morning News
Richardson graduate student Bee Dao remembers looking forward to his Kungfu classes as a youngster at the J.K. Wong Kungfu Tai Chi Academy, located near his home in Richardson. The strong, muscular movements called to him. He wanted to be one of the top students. He dreamed of being a champion. And then he was asked to put on a Lion costume and dance.

"I quit coming," says Mr. Dao, now 24 and an MBA student at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson.

Convinced by his mother to give it a second chance, Mr. Dao returned to the Academy and slowly began to appreciate the Chinese Lion Dance, a traditional art form that has come to symbolize so much in his life - strength, art, culture, beauty, athleticism, dedication, and pride.

After 15 years of training in the Chinese martial arts and 12 years in Lion Dance techniques, Mr. Dao now helps teach children and teens the agile steps of the legendary dance.


Lion Dancer Bee Dao prepares a lion head before a performance for the Chinese new year celebrations. Mr. Dao teaches and trains lion dance at J.K. Wong Kungfu Tai Chi Academy in Richardson under Master Jimmy Wong.

"It's such a beautiful art and I have learned to respect it as an important part of the Asian art, culture, and tradition," he says. "It seemed silly when I was first introduced to it, but now promoting and educating the community about lion dance is the primary reason why I train."

According to Chinese lore, hundreds of years ago, a Chinese village was under constant threat by local bandits, who dressed up as demons to scare away villagers. The marauders then took the townspeople's food and valuables. To defend themselves, the villagers concocted their own creatures - dragons and lions - out of papier-mache. The villagers banged their pots and pans as their colorful creations swayed, scaring away looters and evil spirits. Thus the lion dance was born.

Subsequent generations adopted the lion dance as a traditional part of the Chinese New Year celebration, as well as festivals and other special occasions. The lion dance is believed to bring peace and good fortune.

The lion dance continues to be a major element of Chinese culture. And as home to the most established Chinese lion dance school in the region, the Richardson area is the lion-dance-instruction headquarters of the metroplex.


Lions gather and dance to bring good fortune and prosperity to people and businesses. The different colors represent different characteristics the lions possess.

The J.K. Wong Kungfu Tai Chi Academy in Richardson specializes in teaching the colorful and light-hearted Southern Chinese Lion Dance. In the Southern Lion Dance, two dancers are clothed in bright costumes attached to a heavy papier-mache lion's head. With perfectly syncopated steps, the dancers mimic qualities attributed to the lion, including power, fear, and joy.