A collection of photos taken of the LDFA (Lion Dance Franco Asiatique) group during preparations for their performances ahead of Chinese New Year in the Parisian metropolis.
The French capital has many identities within it.
These identities are the result of communities that have integrated into the metropolis, marked by their own histories and traditions.
The 13th arrondissement is the cradle of the Asian community. After the migratory flows of the 1970s, the empty dwellings of the 13th arrondissement took shape and created what we now call Paris's Chinatown.
Lions in Paris explores this city within a city through the history of the Lion Dance Franco-Asiatique (LDFA) dance company.
The LDFA company, founded in 1980, specialises mainly in lion and dragon dancing. Many young people of Asian origin, some of whom have been naturalised French citizens for generations, are taking up this sport, which is capable of conveying a culture that is distant yet familiar.
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The group of athletes trains at least twice a week throughout the year in preparation for the weeks leading up to and following Chinese New Year.
The dragon dance, is performed by many athletes who move a dragon costume mounted on poles, bringing it to life. They then perform acrobatics, spinning and jumping with it so as not to interrupt the flow.
For the lion dance, one or often two athletes, covered in the typical lion costume, must mimic its movements and perform various acrobatics, sometimes even on metal pillars high above the ground.
In the event that the acrobatics are performed by two athletes wearing the same costume, as is usually the case, the somersaults and movements will be performed with one athlete supporting the other above him.
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During the New Year holidays, the company performs these shows all day long, so physical stamina and resilience must be well established before this event.
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However, the company is also contacted outside of the holiday season. The lion and the dragon can bless businesses, places and people.
Many businesses that are opening ask the company to sanctify the company with a show or a ritual.
These customs allow a culture to survive even in a city like Paris, coexisting with another culture on another continent.
