With Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) packed to capacity, the buzz of the crowd was electric as the Lion Dance team anticipated their upcoming performance.
Backstage, Maya Wang, a sophomore industrial engineering major, tightly held onto the hollow head of Momo — one of the team’s yellow lions — as she stood near the left side of the stage, hidden behind the curtains.
Evan James Mothersbaugh
Wang had spent her freshman year as a member of the group’s ensemble band, but that night, for the first time on such a grand level, she would become the lion.
Her low ponytail hung over her shoulders as she stared down, focused, waiting for the pounding drums and crashing cymbals to cue her entrance.
Wang wore the team’s signature uniform: loose black pants streaked with fur stripes — hers strikingly yellow — and sequins scattered between the material. The beat of the drums roared through the auditorium while the crowd fell silent.
Earlier that day, Wang and the team crammed into the PAC Pavilion, a big studio space where performers waited between sets. It was nearly a nine-hour day with two performances, the first at 11 a.m. and another at 5 p.m. Despite the nerves and hours of downtime, Wang kept it together.
“[I feel] a little [nervous] but I think it’s best not to think about it. I just did homework and now I’m yapping with these guys, so it’s fun.”
The night before, the team had their first full choreography run-through on the very stage they would perform on the next day.But for Wang, the reality of it didn’t hit until later that day.
“I’m just nervous, I think just because there’s going to be a lot of people, but I think it’ll be fine. It’s best just to not think about it,” Wang giggled.
Unlike other teams that had spent weeks drilling choreography, the Lion Dance Team had been focused on their biggest event of the year — the annual Chinese New Year banquet. That left the group with just three weeks to pull their Illuminate performance together.
Still, Wang felt ready.
“For Illuminate, we’ve had three or four practices in a week, which usually doesn’t happen. So I do think I’m prepared enough.”
Now, standing in the wings with the stage lights glowing beyond the curtain and the rhythm of the drums shaking the floor, all that preparation was about to be put to the test.
With cymbals clashing, Wang lifted the lion’s head onto her shoulders. Behind her, Michael Lee, a junior electrical engineering student and third-year Lion Dance team participant, completed Momo’s form as the lion’s tail.
Together, they didn’t form separate parts — they became Momo, a single living creature moving across the stage.
Inside the head, Wang controlled the strings that allowed Momo to come to life, blinking its eyes and opening its mouth to tell a story. Her feet bounced lightly and quickly beneath her, following the rhythm of the drums.
From the outside, the performance looked seamless. But inside the lion, Wang’s mind raced with countless thoughts, one of which brought her comfort.
“You’re in the parking garage we always practice in,” Wang affirmed herself on stage.
The routine lasted roughly six minutes, ending with a final powerful movement and a roar of applause from the audience.
The moment the crew stepped off stage, they rushed together, pulling one another in tight. After all the anticipation and all the nerves, there was only time for celebration.
For Wang, it wasn’t just about the performance — it was the connections she made with the team.
“These are just genuinely really fun people to hang out with, I’ve met some of my closest friends through the team,” Wang said.
With her first performance behind her, relief washed over.
“Once you’re on stage, it really is fine,” Wang said.
As the adrenaline settled and the cheers faded, Wang found herself thinking back on the past few minutes. She had spent weeks preparing for this moment, but now that it was over, she could only take it in.
“Illuminate is more fun than I expected, I think it’s just because of the general atmosphere, everyone is so supportive of each other,” Wang said.
Reflecting on her experience, Wang says she feels everyone should get a chance to experience something like Illuminate, something she calls, exhilarating.
