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About Us
Living Traditions Productions was born of unified and like-minded lion dancers coming from diverse and juxtaposed backgrounds. These lion dancers represent over a combined 30 years of experience and tradition and sought to find a forum with which to share that experience. That forum ultimately became the Beyond the Pride Exhibition that is, not an arena to battle and compete, but rather a platform upon which the numerous schools and individual interpretations of a traditional form can be showcased before an international audience. LTP has created this Exhibition with the intent to generate awareness of and among the Lion Dance communities, and to allow the prospering of a mutual respect, from one bearer of Tradition to another. The tradition of Lion Dance is a vast and storied one that has thrived for over two thousand years; LTP only hopes to make the Beyond the Pride Exhibition another facet of that history that will spread and strengthen Lion Dancing for generations to come.
Mission Statement
Living Traditions Productions is a grass roots community organization existing to strengthen, advocate for, and spread awareness of the art of Lion Dancing within the community.
The Vision
The tradition of Lion Dancing has been kept alive and preserved throughout a two thousand year history, proliferating to countries around the world. It is our vision to ensure the continuation of this traditional art form into the next two thousand years and strengthen its growth throughout the Southern Californian community and beyond.
Objectives of LTP
• To bring together a more global Lion Dance community
• To facilitate the networking of Lion Dancers and those interested in the art
• To spread the knowledge, history, and tradition of Lion Dance
• To gain recognition of the community and earn its respect and support
Advisers
Yogi Tam – Yogi Tam began his Lion Dance experience years ago in New York in the Hung Gar style. Yogi’s style is deeply rooted in martial arts traditions and as such, his dance emphasizes traditional power moves, strong stances, and old Lion Dance puzzles. He always seeks those with the same interest and is eager to share his wealth of knowledge. Growing up during a more tumultuous period of Lion Dancing, Yogi wants to unite the Lion Dancing world to foster a brotherhood and friendship amongst Lion Dancers to create a better generation than the one he lived and bled in. His desires to spread knowledge and tradition and build bridges mirrors LTP’s own goals very well and as a result, LTP has had a close relationship with Yogi Tam.
Vincent Chan – Vince Chan was born into Lion Dance, learning his art from the succession of The Immortals. The Immortals is a Lion Dance team that was started by his father, Jeff Chan, in Los Angeles as an athletic and cultural club. Vince currently manages the Immortals team, advising, performing, and spreading the tradition that is lion dance while also staying true to the deep family roots that was central to the team's discipline. The team was initially a family-based organization with a Choy Lay Fut Lion Dance training and has now become one of the most prestigious teams based out of Southern California, incorporating Hung Gar, Fut Gar, and some Malay styles from the input and experiences of different members and friends. LTP admires this spirit of having varied yet distinct styles and has much to learn from Vincent Chan.
Chris Low – Chris Low, originally from San Francisco, CA, started his formal training in Lion Dance when his family moved to San Diego, CA in 1982. He has studied several different styles of the art and is learning not only the physical but the deeper mental, historical, and cultural aspects of the art. In college, he created The Lion's Cave, one of the first Lion Dance websites and moderated an email listserv he created with a few friends to foster unity and the sharing of our beloved art form. Today, the original idea has evolved into LionDancing.org, an online forum where Lion Dancers from around the world can electronically congregate to share ideas, spread knowledge, and find comradery in one another. He believes that Lion Dancing should be open to all and promotes it in everything he does.