Lunar New Year Celebration 2025

Gund Kwok, the only Asian Women Lion & Dragon Dance Troupe in the U.S., ushered in the Year of the Snake with an innovative and entertaining performance during the Lunar New Year Celebration at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts on February 15, 2025.

A full house sat mesmerized as a pulsing drum, vibrating gongs, and clanging cymbals accompanied the large group of dedicated and talented performers.

The outgoing, spinning Dragon yielded its year to the incoming, whirling Snake.

A colorful pride of Lions, including two cubs, boisterously welcomed in the new year.

In a series of dances, one traditional lion helped a young girl search far and wide for the Lions of the Five Elements and Directions and the even rarer Hakka Lions to ask their help in her quest to restore harmony in a world of discord.

Lions of the Five Elements and Directions

Hakka Lions

Hakka Lions

Along the way, the intrepid pair must climb a treacherous mountain and cross a raging river, all while avoiding those who thrive on chaos.

Ultimately they succeed in their journey, and the wise Lions help bring compassion back to the world.

The author as a Five Element Lion