PHOTOS: Lion dance wows crowd at COA Lunar New Year celebration

A lion danced through the tables at the Weston Community Center, Feb. 6, as part of the Council on Aging’s Lunar New Year celebration of the Year of the Horse.

The creature, performed by Erik Gee and Kaitlyn Yong of Calvin Chin’s Martial Arts Academy in Newton Highlands, nuzzled the hands of guests and chewed up cabbage as it paraded through the crowd.

In other performances, Sense Foo and Yauk Sze sang “Ode to the Plum Blossom,” extolling the strength of the Chinese people. Members of WeStar, a local non-profit that serves the town’s Chinese community, performed a fan dance, the synchronized movements of the white fans representing clouds and flowers.

COA Program Director Sydney Gilbert said it was important to celebrate the traditions of the town’s large Asian population.

“We want to engage with all older adults in Weston,” she said. “It’s a chance to celebrate their culture.”

All photos are by Nicole Mordecai.