On the evening of July 22nd local time, organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and at the invitation of New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a 32-member delegation from the Southern Lion Dance and Drum Troupe (Zhao Family Team) and the Puning Fumei Youth Yingge Dance Troupe, joined by the Guangdong Modern Dance Company with its modern dance piece "MindScape", took the stage at the renowned venue. They made a highly anticipated appearance during the Chinese Arts Week.

The first major leap of this U.S. tour is that instead of performing independently, the lion and Yingge dances achieved an integrated collaborative performance for the first time. What the world sees is not just a "solo dance" of Guangdong's intangible cultural heritage, but a holistic representation of Lingnan culture.

Previously, the lion dance and Yingge dance had forged their own distinct paths overseas. During the 2026 Spring Festival, the Fumei Youth Yingge Dance Troupe traveled to Russia and Spain, electrifying Manezhnaya Square in Moscow amid sub-zero temperatures and dancing interactively with local performers on the streets of Madrid. The 2025 Spring Festival marked the first "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" edition of the holiday. During that time, Zhao Weibin, a national-level representative inheritor of the Guangdong lion dance, led the Southern Lion Dance Troupe in a performance at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, delivering New Year blessings to the permanent representatives of over 100 countries to the UN.

Just as the formal performance at the Lincoln Center concluded, the performers stepped off the stage and spontaneously invited audience members to learn the Yingge and lion dances step-by-step. Within just over ten minutes, cheers and laughter echoed throughout the venue. This highlights the second major leap: when foreign friends transform from spectators into active participants, the culture is no longer an observed "Other," but a tangible, perceptible way of life that truly integrates into the local community.

The third major leap involves the stage presentation evolving from traditional to contemporary. At the Lincoln Center, the lion dance and Yingge dance—two intangible cultural heritage elements that originated in rural fields—shared the spotlight as the main acts alongside the Guangdong-produced modern dance piece "MindScape". Combining strength and grace, the ancient and the contemporary, they showcased different facets of Chinese culture while collectively forming a complete panorama of Chinese art.

醒狮、英歌联袂粤产现代舞重磅亮相美国，岭南文化出海实现三大跃升

当地时间7月22日晚，受纽约林肯表演艺术中心邀请，在广东省文化和旅游厅的组织下，南国醒狮鼓乐龙狮团（赵家狮）与普宁富美青年英歌队一行32人，携手广东现代舞团的现代舞《心境》，登上纽约林肯中心的演出场地，在“城市之夏艺术节·中国艺术周”重磅亮相。

此次赴美演出的一大跃升，在于醒狮与英歌不再各自为战，而是首度实现合体创表演。世界看到的不仅是一项广东非遗的“独舞”，而是岭南文化的整体群像。

此前，醒狮与英歌在海外已各有轨迹。2026年春节期间，富美青年英歌队远赴俄罗斯、西班牙，在莫斯科零下十几度的严寒中燃动马涅日广场，在马德里街头与当地表演者互动共舞。2025年春节是首个“人类非遗版”春节，广东醒狮国家级代表性传承人赵伟斌领衔南国醒狮团舞进纽约联合国总部，为100多个国家常驻联合国代表送上新春祝福。

林肯中心的正式演出刚刚落幕，队员们走下舞台随机邀请现场观众，手把手教他们跳英歌、舞醒狮，短短十多分钟，现场欢呼与笑声此起彼伏。第二大跃升，当外国友人从看客变成亲身参与者，文化便不再是被观赏的“他者”，而是真正走进当地群众生活，成为可感知、可触摸的生活方式。

第三大跃升，舞台表现从传统向时尚跃升。在林肯中心，醒狮和英歌这两项从田间地头走出来的非遗项目，与粤产现代舞《心境》，并列成为舞台的表演主体。一刚一柔、一古一今，各自展现中华文化的不同切面，却又共同构成中国艺术的完整图景。

文｜记者 周欣怡 黎存根 通讯员 粤文旅宣
图｜主办方提供
视频 | 记者 黎存根 周欣怡 梁岚 黎杰文
视频素材 | 主办方提供
译｜陈冠臻
英文审校｜曾敏