Traditional lion dance leads night of entertainment Saturday
Aug. 23, 2018
A traditional Asian lion dance will kick off the 605 Made Night Market on Saturday in the parking lot of Cherapa Place.
The lion dance is a partnership between the Vietnamese American Association and the Chinese American Association in Sioux Falls. The group will include two “lion” performers, a lion tamer to guide them, four dancers and a drumline.
“A lion dance is a dance to celebrate any type of event or holiday. It’s a dance to bring good luck and prosperity and push bad luck or evil away from a holiday or event or business,” drum line organizer Zon Tran said.
“A lot of times businesses hire a lion dance to open, or it’s around major holidays like lunar new year, which is the equivalent of Oktoberfest. You want good luck for people who harvest.”
The Sioux Falls lion dance started in 2009 and has performed at the Washington Pavilion, USD, SDSU, Active Generations and other events.
The Night Market is an especially good fit, Tran said, because night markets originated in Asia.
“It’s so hot in Asia that sometimes people only venture out at night, and then they started bringing things to sell,” he said. “We’re really excited about it.”
The full entertainment lineup for this year’s 605 Made Night Market includes:
Sioux Falls Lion Dance – 4:15-4:30 p.m.
Studio B Jazz – 5 to 6 p.m.
Granola — 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Union Grove Pickers – 8 to 9:30 p.m.
