Debuting the World's First All-Women's Fire Dragon Dance Team
- Jonathan Lee
- Sep 27
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 28
The Fire Dragon Festival is a traditional performance in Hong Kong that is performed in the Hakka villages of Tai Hang and Pok Fu Lum to drive away evil spirits and usher in the Mid-Autumn celebrations. Traditionally, the dance is only performed by men, but Chau Luen Athletics, who have been the headlining performers at Vancouver’s Fire Dragon Festival, have always included women since the festival’s revival in 2021.
And in 2025, Chau Luen Athletics marked a new milestone, debuting the world’s first all-women’s team for a fire dragon performance.
Difference between the fire dragon dance and a regular dragon dance
The fire dragon dance is similar to a normal dragon dance in the moves performed, but instead of a cloth dragon, it is a hand-crafted dragon with a body built out of straw. The body is then studded with incense and lit before the performance. This makes the dragon appear to glow in a warm orange as the performers run, with a trail of fragrant incense trailing behind it.
Women continue to be excluded from performing on fire dragon teams
For its entire history in Hong Kong, women have been excluded from performing in the fire dragon dance. This is because superstitions dictate that women are “impure” and the feminine “yin” nature of women works against the masculine “yang” nature of the dragon. And more broadly within society, women are unfortunately also perceived as not strong enough to perform.
They would be limited to roles such as:
inserting incense sticks into the dragon,
lighting incense,
playing percussion,
holding flags and lanterns, or
performing using a smaller dragon with fake LED incense sticks.
Since 2021, Chau Luen Athletics has always fielded mixed-gender teams (which was also a first), but wanted to do something even bigger than before.
Chau Luen Athletics sends the first all-women’s team to the fire dragon dance
This year, Chau Luen Athletics partnered with other clubs to push the boundaries of gender inclusivity, creating the world’s first full roster of women for a dragon dance, in addition to several other mixed gender teams. Nine women paraded the dragon from head to tail, with another maneuvering the dragon’s pearl. Its glowing embers swept its way gracefully through Chinatown, captivating audience members.
Many young girls were amazed to see women in such a powerful role. Older women, some of whom had seen the fire dragon snake its way through Hong Kong, were awe-struck as they had never seen even one woman even touch the dragon, let alone ten women running it all at once.
The pearl for the all-women’s team was led by Janice Leung, one of the most experienced dragon dancers.
“It’s an honour to carry the pearl,” remarked Janice, who had been practicing for months leading up to the parade.
“I’m so proud to be a part of the world’s first all-women fire dragon dance team. It means so much to help reshape this tradition together with my fellow female teammates and to be the first athletic group in the world to do it.”
Women are proud to be a part of history
Ellen Lee, a long-time student with Chau Luen Athletics, was disappointed but not surprised when she learned that women have historically been forbidden from participating in the fire dragon dance.
“I think in many ways, our festival in Vancouver has moved past [the separation of roles] with women being performers in previous years,” she said.
“Roles are meant to be questioned to determine if they still have merit, and I think the intent with what we've done here is clear.”
Carissa Sy, a newer student with Chau Luen Athletics, relished the opportunity to take part in something big.
“It’s both a joy and privilege to train alongside such a wonderful and diverse group of people — I haven’t been here long, but immediately I could tell they treat you like family here. Performing in the Fire Dragon Festival was unforgettable, and it made me even more excited to keep training, growing, and sharing new experiences with everyone.”
This isn’t out of the ordinary for the club either. Sifu Michael Tan believes in letting his students explore outside of their comfort zone to build confidence and improve their skills.
“I’m glad Carissa and some other students that are early in their kung fu training volunteered to try it out. It takes a lot of courage but I’m proud to see that they’re excited to join us in shaking up tradition for the better.”
Chau Luen Athletics has always been a leader when it comes to female involvement in lion dance, kung fu, and dragon dance. Whether it’s appearing on national television and showing off their dancing skills or winning multiple medals at martial arts competitions, the goal is to always make these traditions more accessible and inclusive.
“I respect their choice in Hong Kong to hold onto their traditions,” Tan said. “But to me, questioning tradition is the only way new traditions can be formed.”
Join the team that is smashing the patriarchy one kick at a time
If you missed this year’s Fire Dragon Festival, it’s not too late to become part of the action. We are always hosting free trial lessons for anyone, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, or experience level. You’ll learn lion dance, kung fu, and dragon dance in an open, safe, and fun environment. All you have to do is reach out.
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