About The Team
Ane Thanh Lion Dance (ATLD) has performed for hundreds of events all across Southern California, from luxury hotel weddings in San Diego to grand-scale auditorium exhibitions in Los Angeles.

Teams and clients working with ATLD know that we specialize in wedding receptions and can create a unique custom-tailored experience that guests will talk about with their friends long after the show is over.
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The troupe has a solid repertoire of experienced dancers, and a quickly-expanding collection of top handcrafted lions and equipment.
Our goal is to provide the very best show possible and help you create a memorable wedding or event for many years to come.
Who is Anê Thành?
During the late 1700s, Vietnam experienced an era where Catholicism was not accepted.
Ane Thanh was the only woman among the 117 Vietnamese Catholic martyrs that held her beliefs through many hardships. She showed strength and dignity in the face of adversity and continues to be an important figure in the Vietnamese Catholic Community. In 1996, the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Group (TNTT) at Holy Spirit Church named their Doan (group) Ane Thanh. In 2004, several of the members of Doan Ane Thanh created their very own lion dance team and named it Ane Than Lion Dance in her honor.
About The Lions
Lion dancing is typically seen around Lunar New Year but is also common for weddings, birthdays, grand openings, and any event that you would like some extra good luck. To ensure prosperity, people usually like to feed the lions money (sometimes in red envelopes).
There are two forms of lion dancing: Northern Lion Dance and Southern Lion Dance. Northern Lion Dance resembles the appearance of actual lions and are typically only made in gold with yellow and red fur. Southern Lion Dance is much more popular and the lions are made in an array of different colors. Southern lions are made in two styles, hok san and fut san. Fut san lions have a sharp horn and a curved down mouth. They have a traditional design and look more aggressive. Hok san lions have a rounded horn and a flat mouth. They are more modern and have a friendlier appearance.
Northern Lion Dance
Southern Lion Dance
The Legend of Nian
What does lion dance come from? Lion dancing is an ancient traditional form of dance used to scare away evil spirits. There are many legends of where the lions come from but the most popular story went a little like this…
Long ago, year after year, a small village faced an attack from a monster named Nian. Nian had the head of a lion, the horn of a dragon, and the body of a dog. Every winter he would come to cause havoc to the village and eat their crops. One day, a monk visited the village to confront the beast. The monk tied a red ribbon around the beast’s horn and the monster became tamed. Nian then became the guardian for the village, who now wards off evil spirits and brings good fortune to all of the villagers. To this day, people perform the art of lion dance to bring in luck for the year.
What is the difference between Lion Dancing and Dragon Dancing?
Lion dancing, dragon dancing...is there a difference? The answer is yes! These two mythical creatures are very different. A dragon is a long snake-shaped beast, who is wise, powerful, and able to soar high above the clouds. The “lion” is much shorter and resembles the shape of actual lions we see today. You can recognize the difference between lion and dragon dancing in a few ways. The lions have a short, roundish face and are performed by two dancers inside. Meanwhile, the dragons have long faces and have many performers lifting the creature on poles to simulate it flying.
Lion Dance
Dragon Dance