Ancient Dance for a New Year

Stepping to the beat of gongs and drums, lion dancers will welcome the Chinese Year of the Monkey this weekend and next.

Local Chinese restaurants will open the year 4690 by hosting the Lion Dance Troupe of the Ventura County Chinese-American Club.

Performances will include kung fu martial arts demonstrations.

The lion dance “brings good luck and chases bad things away,” said Gary Cheng, manager of Golden China Restaurant.

According to lion dancer Hillary Ling, the dance originated about 2,000 years ago in southern China.

Legend has it that a lion-like beast, with eyes like copper bells, horns and a long tail, would terrorize the countryside each New Year’s Eve. Costumes of the 20-member troupe duplicate the appearance of the mythical beast.

Dancers will begin outside the restaurants and move indoors among the diners and into the kitchens, “spreading prosperity and good fortune,” Cheng said.

He added that Chinese people traditionally believe that a child born in the Year of the Monkey will be lively, energetic and clever.

The lion dance can be seen at the following restaurants: Golden China, 1105 S. Seaward Ave., Ventura, 652-0688, 6:30 p.m. Sunday; China Square, 141 Gonzales Road, Oxnard, 988-1922, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8; Chen’s Szechwan, 2024A E. Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks, 492-3583, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Feb. 9.

Emperor of China, 4697 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village, 497-9474, 6 p.m. Feb. 9; Lotus Garden, 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village, 497-8679, 6:45 p.m. Feb. 9; Szechwan King’s, 3707 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village, 496-4711, 7:15 p.m. Feb. 9.

Dinner reservations are recommended for best viewing of the dance, but parts of the performances can be seen at no charge outside the restaurants.