THE AI CORNER: CHINESE LIONS & MODELS

Having photographed Lion Dances during Chinese New Year several times over the past few years, I wanted to build on that experience with a new concept: using lion heads and bodies as props in a fashion shoot featuring Asian models wearing colorful qipaos. I haven’t yet reached out beyond locating martial arts schools that train the dancers, so I don’t know how receptive they might be to the idea—but it’s worth exploring.

To visualize the concept, I fed prompts into MidJourney and generated AI images to use as creative inspiration. These mockups helped refine the mood, color palettes, poses, and compositions I’d like to try on set. 

The initial step is to use MidJourney to generate a set of images as inspiration/mood board for this project.

And subsequently contact local lion dance troupes and martial arts schools to determine feasibility, discuss logistics, and cultural considerations.

SUPER SATURDAY IN CHINATOWN

 

Super Saturday in Chinatown NYC is one of the most vibrant lead-ups to Lunar New Year, centered in and around Chinatown, Manhattan. It typically takes place the Saturday before the main Lunar New Year Parade. The day features traditional lion dances weaving through storefronts to bring good fortune, drum corps performances, martial arts demonstrations, and cultural showcases. Local businesses open their doors for blessings, and the streets fill with the crackle of firecrackers meant to ward off evil spirits and usher in prosperity for the year ahead.

It is also a spiritual and economic ritual — a way for families, merchants, and community associations to start the year united and hopeful. You’ll often see elders offering red envelopes, children watching wide-eyed as lions “eat” lettuce for luck, and volunteers distributing commemorative banners. In a city as fast-paced as New York, Super Saturday transforms Chinatown into a living expression of heritage, resilience, and renewal — a reminder that Lunar New Year is not just a single parade day, but a season of tradition, gratitude, and collective celebration.

AWAKENING THE LIONS

 

The Lion Dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in lions' costumes to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year and other traditional, cultural and religious festivals.

I attended the February 17, 2026 celebration in Manhattan's Chinatown (mostly on Mott, Bayard and Pell streets). and despite the massive crowd, recorded some of the scenes documentary-style.