The Buddha Blessed Temple in south Louisville is typically a place for meditation and Buddhist teachings. But every Tuesday night, a drumbeat engulfs the basement and rattles the floor. Cymbals clash, sending echoes through the halls, and dancers move to the sound of the beat.
Those are rehearsal nights for the River Lotus Lion Dance Team, a group that practices an Asian tradition that dates back to 200 B.C.
The origins of lion dance stem from a legend born during the Han Dynasty in China.
“The story follows that there was this mystical beast that was attacking towns, burning their crops, homes down, and everything — causing chaos. This wise traveler saw that they needed help. He left, came back with the mystical ‘shi’, which translates to the lion,” said River Lotus dance captain Katelan Nguyen.
According to the legend, the lion and the villagers clanged pots and pans together to scare off the creature. The lion was supposed to protect the village when the beast returned the next year.
Today, drums and cymbals represent the pots and pans., The dancers’ lion has a giant head and flowing body, made of paper mache on a bamboo frame. Each one is vibrant, painted colors like pink and orange, and adorned in fur.
River Lotus has six lions. Each one is named after the team’s favorite cartoon characters, including Kirby, Mushu from Mulan and Gengar from Pokemon.
The lions are made in and shipped from Hong Kong, which takes months, Nguyen said.
“Every one is handmade,” she said, “and we all put thought organization into the designs for the lions.”
Lion dance is practiced in several countries around the world. Danny Tran, a group member who organizes its events, said the lions are built to represent these different cultures and regions.
“It was those tales about this great, powerful beast…from the modern African lion,” Tran said. “So these tales traveled upon the Silk Road, and that's where, in the minds of Asian people, [lions] transform into this divine beast.”
For example, in some parts of southern Asia, the lion resembles a dragon with wide eyes and scaly fur. In Tibet, the dancers perform with white lions to represent the snowy mountains in the region.
“There's a lot of different interpretations of the lions,” Nguyen said. “They also have their own stories.”
2025: The Year of the Snake
As the Year of the Snake begins, Tran wants to bring prosperity and good fortune to others through lion dancing, he said.
The River Lotus team has been practicing for weeks for Lunar New Year celebrations in and around Louisville.
“Just like the western New Year, it's a time for people to rejuvenate themselves, and be better people than we are,” Tran said. “And it's also a time for the community to come together. And nothing unites a community more than music, dancing and just having fun.”
University of Louisville professor Delin Lai said lion dancing is an integral part of Lunar New Year tradition. Lai, who teaches Asian art and architecture, said the lion symbolizes luck and prosperity.
“It has the power to exorcise [an] evil spirit,” Lai said. “So during the New Year celebration, people wanted to have a lion come to the door. So when they play the dance in front of your household, you'll feel blessed.”
Different cultures use the lion symbolically as an “auspicious creature” , Lai said.
“You always see this kind of creature in Chinese temples, in front of temples, and those governmental buildings you see,” Lai said. “And today, banks have a sculpture of a lion as a kind of guardian.”
‘Becoming the lion’
To Tran, the dancers are doing more than putting on a lion costume.
“When they get in the lion, they become the lion,” he said.
These performances are no easy feat. Tran said lion dance is based on aspects of martial arts. Nguyen, Tran and the other dancers must do intense stretching to prepare for the high jumps, flips and kicks during performances.
“We have to have these powerful stances, because we're moving so much,” Tran said. “It's better that way to stay stable and strong and to show the power of the lion.”
For each lion, one dancer controls the head and the other controls the body. Strings inside the head make the lion blink, open its mouth and flap its ears. The lion sways, shakes, leaps and kicks to the music.
Kevin Bach has been lion dancing since 2020. He said this cultural art form taught him how to overcome social anxiety.
“This community has helped me develop into a person that can get out of my comfort zone, speak to whoever, [and] explain to them why we're so passionate about this and why it's really beautiful,” Bach said.
The lion dance community transcends ethnicity, genders and age. The River Lotus Team has more than a dozen members, aged 12 to 34. Some dancers are in middle school, some live in the Buddhist Temple and some are college students.
The art form has evolved since its earliest days. Professor Lai said it used to be limited to men.
On the River Lotus team, most of the dancers are women and many are Vietnamese. The group also has several members who aren’t Asian but wanted to learn more about the ancient art form.
“We're learning all together,” said River Lotus dancer Justin Nguyen. “That's why we make such a great team. We share this bond that's unbreakable.”
Tran said the group is always accepting new members no matter their age, race, gender or nationality as long as they are willing to learn more about the art of lion dance.
