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Writer's pictureJanice Leung

Yes, Chau Luen Athletics Does Birthday Lion Dances!

Updated: Oct 2

Ever wondered what it was like to celebrate a birthday in style? Well, you haven’t had a real birthday celebration until you’ve been part of one with a birthday lion dance performance!


Birthday lion dances are a perfect way to celebrate a milestone year. The energy of the drums, the vibrant colours of the lions, and not to mention a shower of lettuce for good luck.


Curious to see what a birthday lion dance looks like? We’ve got a treat for you. We recently performed another one at Hapa Izakaya in Yaletown for Tianna’s birthday celebration. Here’s how it all went down.


Planning Tianna’s birthday lion dance surprise


It looked like any other birthday party in Vancouver for Tianna. A night out with the girls at a trendy restaurant in Yaletown. No big deal, right? But little did she know that her friend Barb saw us performing at a business’s grand opening a few months prior.

Little Mountain Shop in Vancouver poses with Chau Luen Lion Dance team

Barb did a little bit of research and found our site. Within minutes, she had sent us an inquiry, and within a day, we got the wheels rolling on planning the most epic birthday celebration imaginable. Yes, it’s that easy to book a lion dance in Vancouver!


We worked with Barb and found out what Tianna was like. After scoping out the location (the more space/height we have, the more fun we can have) and getting details on how the surprise birthday was going to go, we were ready. We got some of our most experienced lion dance performers and energetic percussionists, loaded everything into the official Chau Luen Athletics Orange Minivan™ and were on our way.

Lion dance performer hides behind the bushes

Of course, it was a surprise, so we had to stay hidden behind some bushes.


How the birthday girl reacted to her surprise birthday lion dance


Tianna was led out of the restaurant by her friends, eyes glued shut and praying that this wasn’t a cruel pie-in-the-face prank. But before she could see anything, she heard the sudden banging of drums, cymbals, and gongs. Within seconds, our fiery red lion appeared in front of her.

Birthday girl surprised by lion dance performance

Tianna wasn’t the only one surprised; everyone seated on the patio (as well as passersby) were treated to a one-of-a-kind birthday lion dance that we’d wager was more exciting than a bunch of Red Robin employees all clapping and singing some lame song.


A shower of lettuce all over Yaletown


As with our normal routine, the highlight of the performance was the throwing of a bright green head of shredded lettuce and a scroll for good luck.

Lion dancer showers lettuce over birthday girl in Vancouver's Yaletown

After it was all over, everyone wanted in on some photos. We got a ton of compliments from all of her friends, which meant a lot seeing how much effort we put into practice.

Tianna birthday party at Hapa Izakaya with Chau Luen lion dance

With all the experience that our senior leadership team has in lion dance (especially as our Sigung/Grandmaster Peter Wong was the first to introduce acrobatics into lion dance performances in Vancouver), the fact that we can consistently exceed our clients’ expectations is a testament to not only our training, but their teaching.


Seeing a crowd full of smiles is what really motivates us to always keep training.


Ready to book your own birthday lion dance?


Are you interested in ordering a birthday lion dance to make someone’s special day even more special? Have you witnessed one in person? Drop a comment below or get in touch with us using the button below to book your own lion dance.


It could make aging fun again (until the back pain kicks in again).



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