These photos and videos were taken at the SF Botanical Garden Lunar New Year Flower Market celebration.The West Coast Lion Dance Troupe hails from Daly City, CA and is the premier and most popular Lion Dance Troupe in the Bay Area. They are the draw for many Lunar New Year celebrations and one of the reasons I attend this particular event each year.
They were awesome as usual and put on a spectacular show. Due to the drums and music projecting such loud reverberations, the music this year was kept outside while the performance took place inside. What was interesting this year is that none of the children were afraid. So many years while attending these events, children are always scared of the lion dancers. This year, not at all. They were running up to them wanting to dance and play with them. It was adorable.
There is so much culture and tradition behind these dances and the lion costumes that I am going to give you their website link here: West Coast Lion Dance Troupe
Photos and video taken at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens Lunar New Year Flower Market Celebration.
This is an annual event in San Francisco and a festivity I thoroughly enjoy. Even though I still do not have much energy, this event was something I was NOT going to miss no matter how I felt.
The Red Panda Acrobats are based in the Bay Area and have toured all over the world. They were originally formed in China and appear at events, school functions, on local television, street festivals and corporate events. They are a staple at the Lunar New Year event at the gardens however I hadn't seen them until today. I was always too early or too late for their performance. Today, I arrived just in time.
All I can say was this guy was amazing as you will see in the videos below. There was juggling, acrobatics, shimmying in and out of barrels, balancing acts and just downright fun. He was engaging, had great interaction with the audience, allowed for children to participate and had the most discipline, endurance and strength that I've seen in a very long time. The first video demonstrates all of these characteristics and much more. I was simply blown away by his acrobatic expertise. I would love to see them perform again. Enjoy!
