Saturday: 1 p.m. Chinese dragon and lion dancers on midway, 3 p.m. Taiwanese folk aboriginal dance at Children’s Area, 4 p.m. Chinese yo-yo exhibition at Children’s Area, 7 p.m. Chinese dragon and lion dancers parade from Heritage to Railroad; Sunday: 1:15 p.m. Chinese dragon and lion dancers at Children’s Area

The National Folk Festival will welcome a talented youth group from the Chinese Folk Art Workshop, a Boston-based nonprofit that aims to promote Chinese cultural interaction and understanding in the community. Its members range in age from 12 to 17, and they will perform a variety of Chinese traditional arts.

Formed in 1998, the workshop completes its mission by organizing lessons in Chinese traditional arts, group activities and public performances in the Boston area. Members of the group have performed at the Boston Children’s Museum, the Pawtucket Dragon Boat Festival, First Night Boston, the Boston International Festival and the Greater Boston Chinese Community Association Night. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston is sponsoring the group’s appearance at the festival.

Chinese dragon dance

The emblem of the Chinese emperor and imperial command, the dragon has been a symbol of power in Chinese culture since ancient times. Chinese tradition considers dragons to be friendly, wise and beautiful creatures that are respected and even worshipped. Dragons symbolize goodness, fertility and dignity and are said to bring good fortune to those in their presence.

Earliest records of the dragon dance date from 200 B.C. during the Western Han Dynasty. Begun as a way to please the dragon deity, it now is performed for entertainment at festive occasions in China and Chinese immigrant communities. The immense dragon, usually made out of bamboo, wood, rattan, cloth and paper, coils around audiences and down parade routes, following a pearl that entices it to move forward.

The dragon at this year’s festival is 30 feet long and requires the coordination of nearly 20 people to create its fluid, serpentine movements. Performers hold onto poles attached to the belly of the dragon and raise the poles to the rhythm of accompanying drums.

The Chinese Folk Art Workshop dragon dance troupe is taught by Kun Chang, and the performers include Tong Liang, Brian Chen, Emily Chen, Victoria Chen, Arthur Chin, Eric Ho, Eric Hsiao, Teresa Hsiao, Fred Huang, Michelle Ting, Annie Hsiao, Joyce Chang, Alice Chang, Fred Huang, Andy Liang and Joshua Chang.

Chinese lion dance

The lion dance is another Chinese tradition, an extension of the Chinese martial arts. Its history dates back more than 2,000 years, to a time when East-West trade routes were developing and empires were forming along the Silk Road. The dance is part of Chinese New Year celebrations, and the lion often appears at events such as weddings and restaurant openings.

Rulers of ancient empires in what are now Iran and Afghanistan sent lions to Chinese emperors as gifts in exchange for trading rights. The lion dance dates to the Han Dynasty (205 B.C. to A.D. 220 in China). During the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 716-907), it reached its peak in popularity and was performed primarily during Buddhist religious festivals.

The lion is enacted by two dancers. One handles the head, made of strong but light materials such as papier-mache and bamboo, while the other plays the body and tail under a cloth attached to the head. The “animal” is accompanied by three musicians playing a large drum, cymbals and a gong. A little Buddha teases the lion with a fan or a giant ball. The head dancer can move the lion’s eyes, mouth and ears for expression of moods.

The lion supposedly possesses mystical properties and everything about its presence is symbolic. The five colors of the costume (yellow, black, green, red and white) represent the five cardinal directions (east, west, north, south and center) important in Chinese aesthetics. The costume is composed of many symbolic shapes. The bird-shaped horn represents the phoenix. The ears and tail are of the unicorn. The protruding forehead, adorned with a mirror that deflects evil forces, and the long beard are characteristic of Asian dragons. The lion walks back and forth, in a zigzag path, to confuse evil spirits, which the Chinese believe move in straight lines. The act of eating and disbursing of the greens symbolizes distribution of wealth and good fortune to all present. These symbols combine to cure sickness, bless marriages and guard against misfortune.

Along with regular martial arts training, the dance performers of this troupe attend weekly classes in the art of Chinese lion dance. The dancers are trained in the intricate movements that form the basis of the lion dance. They also receive instruction in the percussion instruments and the traditional rhythms that accompany the dance.

After the lion dance, the dancers will demonstrate forms, which are choreographed kung fu routines. The early martial artists, studying in Buddhist temples, imitated the movements they observed in the fighting styles of such animals as the tiger and the crane. Other styles imitate the leopard, praying mantis, eagle, snake and dragon.

The members of the lion dance troupe are Jeff Chin, Joyce Chang, Alice Chang, Fred Huang, Andy Liang, Josh Chang, Richard Ting, and Michael Chang.

Chinese yo-yo exhibition

The Chinese yo-yo, sometimes called diabolo (from the Greek words for “to throw across”), is a barbell-shaped toy that is spun on a string tied to two sticks held in the performer’s hands. The object is to get the yo-yo spinning fast enough to emit a humming sound and remain spinning when it is tossed high up in the air.

Though probably much older, the Chinese yo-yo has been a recreational toy for children and adults for more than 350 years, since the time of the Ming Dynasty. Farmers would practice on the yo-yo during the off-season when they had no planting or harvesting to do. The activity soon became a popular form of performance entertainment at festivals, and today is a recreational physical activity and performance art. It has become somewhat of an extreme sport of late, with performers throwing the yo-yo 20 or 30 feet into the air and executing other tricks.

The Chinese yo-yo group, under the direction of Judy Ting, includes Joyce Chang, Alice Chang, Arthur Chin, Eric Ho, Eric Hsiao, Andy Liang, Joshua Chang and Michelle Ting.

Taiwanese aboriginal dance

The island of Taiwan is home to at least nine indigenous cultures. Their ritual dances are associated with every important community occasion, from ceremonies celebrating the seasons and agriculture to life-cycle ceremonies marking births, marriages, for entertainment and at festive gatherings.

The Chinese Folk Art Workshop performs a choreographed version of a dance from Taiwan’s Ami people of the island’s west coast. The costumes and movements imitate those of the indigenous people who still perform this ritual dance today.

The aboriginal dance group is taught by Chinese folk dancer Judy Ting. The performers include Emily Chen, Victoria Chen, Annie Tang, Carolyn Tang, Cassie Huang, Trica Liang, Michelle Ting, Joyce Chang and Alice Chang.