LQ Li
n Dance
About Us
Who we are...
LQ Lion Dance Team is an enthusiastic youth group who are committed to further themselves in preserving the art of Lion Dancing and to provide cultural enrichment through the art of Lion Dancing to their local communities and beyond.
About the Lieu Quan Lion Dance Team
The LQ Lion Dance team is part of the Lieu Quan (LQ) Youth Group based out of the Co Lam Pagoda in Seattle, WA.
The youth group was established in 1976 with the goal of developing our youth members to be positively contributing members of society based on the teaching and practice of Buddhism.
Members range from 7 to 18 years old and meet every Sunday at the pagoda to learn Dharma, Vietnamese language and culture in a nurturing and fun environment. They also participate in activities to gain knowledge about leadership, life choices, social interactions, scouting, and many other areas. All adult leaders are volunteers, many of whom were once members themselves.
It is from this youth group that LQ Lion Dance was formed as venue for the members to learn more about Vietnamese culture, to contribute to the community by performing, and to help support the youth group through donations. Since its beginning, LQ Lion Dance has never been a commercial business; we operate much like a non-profit and all the leaders are unpaid.
Our three core values are the Members, the Art, and the Community.
- To the members, we provide an opportunity to do sport and be on a team, a source of entertainment, and a means of fundraising for the youth group.
- To the art of lion dancing, we act as stewards who are trying to not only keep it alive but to actively expand its reaches.
- To the community, we offer joy and blessings, a way to practice age old traditions, and cultural awareness.
It is believed that Lion Dance can bring people Joy, Happiness, Good Luck, Good Health, Longevity, and Prosperity. LQ Lion Dance hopes to make this belief a reality.
Duc Cash Vo
Director
Cash started lion dancing at the age of 15 in Olympia, WA with the Lien Hoa Youth Group. When he transferred to the Lieu Quan Youth Group in 1998, Cash was tasked with rebuilding the LQ Lion Dance team with just 4 members. Since then, he had developed the team and lead it into one of the most recognized and trusted teams in the Pacific Northwest not only within the Vietnamese community but far beyond.
As Director, Cash's tasks are handling team development, administration, event coordination, and performances. He works directly with members to provide training and coaching and work with clients to bring the best lion dance show they have ever seen!
Contributing Team Leaders
LQ Lion Dance certainly would not be where it is today without the commitment and support of the leadership team members. We would like to acknowledge the following for all their time and energy!
Bao Nguyen, Torrey Le, Truong Nguyen, James Ho, Michael Ngo, Vinh Nguyen, Truong Nguyen, Steven Le, Julie Nguyen, Lien Huynh, An Dinh, Tien Dinh, Victoria Nguyen, John and Jimmy Le, and many others...
Our Offerings
What we do...
What do we do?
Simply put, we offer fun, excitement, and unforgettable memories to your event!
The lion dance was originally used to entertain kings and emperors, to protect and bring peace to the kingdom. You can now enjoy the same benefits when you invite us to perform at your events.
LQ Lion Dance team has been offering performance services to the community for over 35 years. We do around 50 performances a year for all sorts of events, namely: weddings, birthdays, corporate events, grand openings, parades, social celebrations, school assemblies, cultural awareness celebrations, and of course the Lunar New Year celebrations.
If you have events where you would like to add entertainment and good fortune, give us a shout and we can customize a performance to fit your needs.
Story: The Lion and the Big Head Buddha
There are many versions of the story on the origin of Lion Dancing, this is the one our team love to share the most as it closely matches who we are and how we do the Lion Dance.
A long, long time ago in a small village far, far away in China…One year during harvest time, a wild animal come down from the mountains and terrorize the people. It destroyed all their crops as it tries to feast on anything it could find. This is a wild and scary beast. It doesn’t look like anything the villagers had ever seen before.
Everyday, the Beast would come down to feast on their crops…and everyday, the villagers would hide in their houses to avoid coming into contact with this beast. They wish the animal would just go back to the mountains where it came from.
Weeks past and the villagers felt they must do something about it if they want to have a decent year of peace and prosperity.
One day a group of villagers get together and decided to find a way to get rid of this monster. So they seek out the help of an honorable Monk on a nearby mountain. This Monk has a big belly and more importantly, he has a magical fan that has the power to tame wild animals, among other things.
They explained what happened and begged the Monk to help them. The Monk understood the severity of the situation. He told the villagers that he will come with them to the village to help in any way he can.
In preparing to fight this Beast, he asked everyone to gather pots, pans, kettles and any thing that can cause a racket to scare the Beast back up mountain.
The next day everyone gathered their noise makers and went hiding - waiting for the Beast to come. At exactly noon time, the Beast came down for its now regular lunch time feast.
Seeing the Beast eating their crops, the villagers all came out and started banging their pots, pans, kettles, and anything they can get their hands on that would make noise…to scare away the Beast. As the Monk predicted it startled the Beast and cause it to run away. As the Beast ran up the mountain, the honorable Monk followed the Beast. Chasing it to its cave and determined to tame the Beast.
A couple of days gone by and the villagers have not seen the Beast nor the Monk. They were worried and wondered if the Monk was able to tame the wild Beast. Or, was he eaten by the Beast?….
A week later the Monk returned to the village with the Beast by his side. He told the villagers that he has tamed the Beast with his magical fan. The Monk had also trained it to protect humans and it now lives with him in his temple. He assured the villagers that the Beast would no longer bother them and that he has trained the Beast to be the protector of the village. Whenever it is needed, the Beast will come down to bless the village - bringing joy, peace, happiness, and prosperity to all the people.
To celebrate this event, the villagers bring out their noise makers and started dancing. The Monk led the Beast to each house and blessed the entire village.
Today, that dance we called the Lion Dance, where – The Beast is the Lion. The Monk is the Big Headed Buddha. The noise makers are now the percussions with Drum, Gong, Cymbals, and whenever possible Firecrackers. The dance itself signifies Good Luck, Happiness, Joy, and Prosperity.
Our Portfolio
Where we've been...
The following is a "short list" of our featured sponsors over the years. Our team could not have done it without your support. By inviting us to perform for your event, you do not only help to preserve the culture and the art but you also help support the team and its organization. Thank you for your continued support! To inquire about a performance, Email Us.
Corporate Sponsors
. . .
Local Communities and Businesses
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- Cong Dong Nguoi Viet, Seattle
- Hoi Thua Thien Hue
- Washing Asian Bar Association
- Seattle Police Academy
- Renton Retirement Homes
- . . .
Academia, Libraries, and Museums
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Contact Us
How to reach us...
Mailing Address
3503 S Graham St., Seattle, WA 98118 - USAEvent Coordinator's contact number
(206) 779-1507Email Address
events@lqliondance.orgWebsite Address
http://lqliondance.orgMedia Gallery
Pictures and Videos...