The whole crowd sat at the edge of their tiny seats, leaning forward and eagerly anticipating what the two young boys in their red and blue shirts would do. They looked at each other in confidence and draped a golden cloth lined with black fur across their backs. Suddenly the two disappeared, transformed into a magnificent lion.

Celebrating the Year of the Rooster, the Developing Virtue Secondary School’s Dragon & Lion dance and 24 Seasons Drumming club, as well as the Chinese orchestra, were invited to perform at the Oakland Museum of California. The Lion Dance were able to begin the event with acrobatic movements and thundering music, while the Dragon Dance had the honor of concluding the day. Perhaps many were also excited to see the UC Berkeley K-Pop group dance to Twice’s hit song “TT.”

Inside the actual museum, our Dragon & Lion Dance club also fundraised by selling rooster T-shirts and teaching participants how to make lanterns. Along with the help of many other organizations and clubs, we were able to bring joy to all the local people participating in the festivities.