Corey Chan
An early interest in Chinese arts led martial artist and historian Corey Chan to train in the ancient Chinese New Year lion dance performed annually to bring good fortune. Chan is the Director of Kei Lun Martial Arts, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of lion dancing, martial arts, and dragon dancing. His team performs, teaches, designs, and repairs elaborate paper maché lion and dragon heads used in their many performances. After decades of involvement in the arts, Chan continues to train and perform with his teammates. Together, they have a passion for designing, creating, and repairing the lions and dragons they perform with.
Recently, he and some of his teammates performed a complex restoration of a priceless dragon head which was made in the 1800s. The dragon is currently on display in a museum exhibit in New York, with additional tours booked in Sacramento, California and Portland, Oregon. Chan curated another recent exhibit, The Forgotten Art of Lion Dance Puzzles, as a preview to this little-known art to the public as an introduction to his upcoming book on the same subject.
