Avril Saavedra

Kelly Wong is one of the lion dance instructors at the New York Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club. Originally founded as a fraternal society, the Freemasons were among the first troupes in Chinatown to train women to lion dance.

In New York's Lunar New Year parade, women are breaking barriers as lion dancers

Culture

Back in the 1960s, there were fewer than 10 lion dancer troupes participating in the Lunar New Year parade in New York's China. Today it’s more like 40 or 50.

In New York's Lunar New Year parade, women are breaking barriers as lion dancers