LET’S WORK TOGETHER!
Our Offerings
TDDT is the perfect addition to your event. If you’re looking for a captivating performance, then you’ve found the right team.
Most Popular
Lion
Performed by two dancers per lion and accompanied by drum, gong, and cymbals, lion dance showcases martial arts skill and acrobatic ability. Lion dance is our standard offering.
$550
base rate
- Audience interaction
- Great for schools
- Small spaces
- Weddings
Most Popular
Dragon
Requiring at least seven performers to bring the dragon to life, dragon dance is a true test of stamina and teamwork.
$650
base rate
- Larger spaces
- Stage shows
Most Popular
Combo
Can’t choose between lion dance and dragon dance? Why not choose both lion dance and dragon dance?
$750
base rate
- The best of both worlds
Most Popular
Luminous
The Luminous Dragon is a one-of-a-kind dragon dance that showcases the dragon’s brilliant illumination in low-light or darkened settings. This performance is distinct and certain to wow crowds!
Contact
us for more information
- Dark events
- Available electrical outlets
Some performances may be eligible for a donation waiver.
In many cases, we will waive $550 of our donation request for events which align with our educational mission.
Typically Eligible
If your event:
- is open to the public (except for K-12 schools); AND
- doesn’t charge admission; AND
- is organized by a nonprofit organization (typically a 501c3 public charity or a 501c3 educational organization)
then it may be eligible for a donation waiver. Event organizers who are eligible for a donation waiver typically include public schools, public libraries, cultural events, high school student organizations, and college student organizations.
If you believe that your event qualifies, please let us know when requesting a performance.
Typically Ineligible
If your event:
- is not open to the public; OR
- charges admission; OR
- is organized by a for-profit organization
it is highly likely that it will not be eligible for a donation waiver. Events which are not eligible for a donation waiver typically include (but are not limited to) company events, corporate events, fundraisers, private events, store openings, and weddings.
Determination
Whether your event is eligible for a donation waiver is determined by your assigned Client Contact Manager (CCM), subject to review and approval by our Board of Directors.
Out of respect for our many patrons, requested donation amounts and waiver eligibility are non-negotiable. Our goal is to treat our clients equitably.
Note: Additional donations may be assessed to cover the cost of special requests such as long-distance equipment transportation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Cost and Payment
Are you a nonprofit organization?
Yes.
The Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team is both a registered U.S. 501(c)(3) organization and a registered Texas BOC § 22.001(5) nonprofit corporation.
Do you assess additional fees?
Sometimes.
In addition to the base rate listed above, we will request an additional donation:
- to cover transportation and incidentals for long-distance performance requests.
- to cover transaction fees imposed by payment processors.
- to cover the costs of honoring special requests, as applicable.
Our Client Contact team will provide you with a quote, if applicable, after you submit your request. The applicability and amount of additional donations is determined at the sole discretion of our Client Contact team and is non-negotiable.
Do you require a security deposit?
Sometimes.
Under certain circumstances, we may ask you to provide a nonrefundable security deposit as a prerequisite for booking our team. For example, if you request a booking during our busy season, we may request a nonrefundable security deposit to secure your time slot.
The applicability and amount of a nonrefundable security deposit is determined at the sole discretion of our Client Contact team and is non-negotiable.
What forms of donation do you accept?
Our preferred payment processor accepts:
- Credit Card
- Debit Card
- Automated Clearing House (ACH)
- Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD)
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
We also accept (less preferred):
- Zelle®
- Cash
- Red envelope (紅包 or lì xì)
Finally, we accept (but do not prefer):
- PayPal®
- Personal Check
- Venmo®
We may also accept other forms of donation. For performances, this would be in addition to (but never in place of) the requested donation amount.
What if I am unable to afford the requested donation for the performance?
Some performances may be eligible for a donation waiver (see above).
Out of respect for our many patrons, requested donation amounts are non-negotiable. Our goal is to treat our clients equitably.
If you are unable to afford the requested donation and you are not eligible for a donation waiver, we invite you to attend our public performances and view our many videos online.
About the Performance
How long is a performance?
A TDDT lion dance performance is typically 10-15 minutes long.
A TDDT dragon dance performance is typically 8-10 minutes long.
Our Client Contact team will make every effort to fulfill special requests. To protect the health and safety of our performers — and to ensure the quality of every performance — we generally cannot accommodate requests that exceed these durations. However, our Client Contact team may be able to arrange a creative solution (with a corresponding additional donation).
What is the Luminous Dragon?
The Shaolin Luminous Dragon Dance is a spectacular modern evolution of traditional Chinese performance art that originated in Singapore in 1967. Unlike standard dragon dances performed in daylight, this variant takes place in total darkness, utilizing a dragon coated in fluorescent paint that glows vibrantly under ultraviolet (UV) lights. The performers dress in black to remain invisible to the audience, creating a mesmerizing optical illusion where the neon-lit dragon appears to float, dive, and undulate through the air on its own. This “night light” style emphasizes high-speed, acrobatic movements and complex “eight-shaped” rotations, blending the rigorous physical discipline of Shaolin kung fu with 20th-century technology to symbolize a celestial dragon soaring through the clouds.
What should we be prepared to provide you with?
We are almost entirely self-sufficient. However, we will request the following of you:
- We are unable to confirm performer availability until we receive the following:
- Performance Date
- Performance Time
- Performance Location
- Parking. We require at least two parking spots for loading and unloading equipment and performers. Additional parking is greatly appreciated and allows our performers to provide the best performance possible.
- Setup time. We always plan to arrive early to performances to make contact with our client, review the performance space, work out any last-minute details, set up our equipment, and warm up.
- Space. While our lion dancers are accustomed to navigating tight spaces, dragon dance requires quite a bit more space.
- Water. When you see us perform you’ll understand why. We always kindly ask that you provide us with water immediately after our performance.
Things we might need:
- Early access to performance space. Luminous dragon performances require us to have access to the performance space beforehand.
- Electrical outlets. Luminous dragon performances depend on access to electricity in order to power our lighting.
Here are things we won’t need:
- Sound amplification. The instruments we bring with us are pretty loud, as are our performers. If you would like us to give a quick introduction before the performance, though, a microphone connected to amplified audio is always appreciated (but by no means required).
If we need anything else, our Client Contact team will be sure to let you know in advance.
When are you available to perform?
Importantly, our team is all-volunteer. Our membership consists of university students and working professionals who practice and perform in their free time. When you submit your request for a performance, your assigned Client Contact Manager will reach out to and coordinate with our performers to determine if we have enough availability to fulfill your request.
Based on our decades of experience, we can provide you with general information and tips:
Please review our calendar!
Please check our performance calendar to ensure that we are not already booked during your desired time slot. If we’re already booked, then we are not available.
Weekdays prior to 6 PM can be difficult to accommodate.
As mentioned above, our team is comprised of a combination of university students and working professionals. We are typically unavailable to perform on weekdays during business/class hours. As an educational organization, we insist that our student members prioritize their studies. Please understand that while we will make every effort to accommodate your request, weekday daytime performance requests stand a lesser chance of being accepted than evening or weekend performances.
We have much more availability on evenings and weekends.
We tend to have far more success scheduling performances after 6 PM on weekdays and on weekends.
Performers are more available during the academic year.
As a significant portion of our team consists of university students, your chances of having a request accepted are greater during the school year (other than breaks and finals). Please review UT Austin’s academic calendars for details. The Fall Term and Spring Term are generally your best bet. Our student members may be busy at the middle and end of the semester as they study for midterms and finals; As an educational organization, we insist that they prioritize their academics.
Book early for Lunar New Year / Chinese New Year / Tết Nguyên Đán!
For performance requests during our high-demand lunar new year season (in the early spring) we strongly encourage you to review our performance calendar and submit your request as far in advance as possible. While we will make every effort to accommodate your request, please understand that many of our clients request lunar new year performances anywhere from one month to one year in advance. To stand the best chance of being able to book us for the lunar new year, we recommend that you submit your request no later than the prior November.
Special Requests
Do you perform outside of the City of Austin?
Yes.
Our Client Contact team will make every effort to fulfill special requests.
For performances outside of Austin, we may request an additional donation to cover transportation, fuel, wear and tear and opportunity cost. The applicability and amount of said donation varies depending on the distance and is determined at the sole discretion of our Client Contact team and is non-negotiable.
May I request a specific number of lions?
Certainly!
Our Client Contact team will make every effort to fulfill special requests.
Importantly, our team is all-volunteer. Our membership consists of college students and working professionals who practice and perform in their free time. The number of lions we can provide will be limited by the number of performers we have available and number of lions we have in inventory.
Depending on the number of lions requested we may request an additional donation to cover fees associated with bringing additional performers and lions. The applicability and amount of said donation is determined at the sole discretion of our Client Contact team and is non-negotiable.
May I request both lion and dragon dance?
Certainly!
Our Client Contact team will make every effort to fulfill special requests.
Importantly, our team is all-volunteer. Our membership consists of college students and working professionals who practice and perform in their free time. Our ability to provide dragon dance will be limited by the number of performers we have available.
Additionally, as noted above, these requests will be subject to an additional donation. The amount of said donation is determined at the sole discretion of our Client Contact team and is non-negotiable.
What if I don’t have all of the information about my event?
Importantly, our team is all-volunteer. Our membership consists of college students and working professionals who practice and perform in their free time.
Until we have confirmed the date , time , and location of a performance our Client Contact team cannot accurately determine if our team is available to perform for your event.
Event requests submitted without this information will be considered incomplete since we will be unable to begin our evaluation.
What if I have a different special request?
Our Client Contact team will make every effort to fulfill special requests. However, they are subject to several limitations by the team’s Executive Officers and Board of Directors.
Our core rules are:
- We have a minimum number of available performers that we need before we can accept a performance request.
- We will not confirm our team availability unless we can provide a performance which does justice to our team and our style.
- We do not do “half” or “partial” performances.
If you have a special request, you may:
- Send us an e-mail prior to submitting a performance request.
- Provide the details of your special request when submitting your performance request.
- Communicate your special request to your assigned member of our Client Contact team.
Some special requests will require an additional donation. The applicability and amount of said donation is determined at the sole discretion of our Client Contact team and is non-negotiable.
After Submitting a Request
What happens after I submit a request?
- Initial review. Upon receiving a complete request, your request will be reviewed by our Client Contact team.
- Contact Manager assigned. You will be assigned a Contact Manager who will follow up within three (3) days to clarify any questions we might have.
- Soliciting team availability. After the details of the performance request are squared away, the Contact Manager will attempt to address any special requests you may have and submit your request to our team for processing. At this point, individual performers will indicate their availability.
- Confirmation. Once we have met all of our internal criteria for providing a high quality performance, the Contact Manager will reach out to you to confirm the performance.
The timeline for the above varies based on the time of the year and performer availability.
Importantly, our team is all-volunteer. Our membership consists of college students and working professionals who practice and perform in their free time. Your assigned Contact Manager works with the rest of the team to determine if enough volunteers are available to perform.
When will I receive confirmation that you can perform?
We will provide you with a response as soon as we are able. We don’t confirm until we are reasonably confident that we will able to perform.
Importantly, our team is all-volunteer and consists of university students (who have inconsistent schedules) and full-time employees (who are largely unavailable during the day). As a result, it may take some time for our members to determine their availability and commit to a performance. This may also be influenced by the time of year (spring break, finals, etc.).
We understand that some events require significant advance coordination. If you have a deadline by which you need a response, please include that information in your request.
We will not confirm a performance request until we can guarantee that we will be available. If you need an answer by a certain date, but we have not given you a CONFIRMED answer, then we regret that our official answer is “No, we are unfortunately unavailable.”
What happens if I need to reschedule a performance?
Only when you have provided a specific date, time, and location will your performance request be distributed to our performers to determine their availability.
In the event that you need to change the date, time, or location of the performance please let us know as soon as possible so that we may re-evaluate our performers’ availability.
While we will make every effort to accommodate changes to performance dates, times, and locations please be aware that our ability to make these accommodations is limited.
Change requests should not be considered approved until explicitly confirmed by a member of our Client Contact team.
What happens if I need to cancel a performance?
In the event that you need to cancel a performance please let us know as soon as possible.
If you have already submitted your donation for the performance we will refund your donation, subject to the below:
- If you have been assessed a non-refundable deposit, that deposit will not be refunded.
- Depending on the donation method, we will deduct from your refund a fee to cover refund processing.
- For cancellations fewer than 48 hours prior to the performance time, we will deduct from your refund a cancellation fee.
All nonrefunded amounts are used to cover sunk administrative and logistical costs incurred by our team
On the Day of the Performance
Our event has an MC. How should we introduce your team?
Here is a suggested blurb which your MC may read:
The Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team (TDDT) has performed dragon and lion dance in Austin and around Central Texas for over 25 years. Their goal is to share and, in many cases, introduce the art of dragon and lion dancing to the community. The team performs year-round for a variety of events, including: schools, cultural events, festivals, restaurants, and weddings. For more information, visit www.tddt.org.
What can I expect on the day of the performance?
Our team aims to arrive at your performance location 30 minutes prior to the performance start time. This gives us time to unload and set up our equipment, coordinate with you, and get our performers warmed up. For more complex performances or performances outside of the City of Austin we may aim to arrive earlier.
Upon our arrival, our team will reach out to you (or your designated contact) to notify you of our team’s arrival. We may also ask to view the performance space. Depending on the nature of the performance, we may work out some final details with you (we handle a surprise performance at a wedding quite differently than a performance at an elementary school).
Before you know it, the dance will have begun!
What happens in the event of rain?
In the event of rainy conditions on the date of an outdoor performance, we will make reasonable accommodations to ensure fulfillment of the performance agreement.
If, however, we cannot guarantee the safety of our equipment (our lions are made of bamboo/paper-mâché and our drum top is stretched leather… both are irreparably damaged in rain) or the safety of our performers, we reserve the right to unilaterally postpone, reschedule, or cancel any performance.
If we have to postpone, reschedule, or cancel a performance we will work with you to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution.
What if my event is running late?
With over 25 years of experience performing at a wide variety of venues, we wholeheartedly appreciate the complexities involved in running a major event such as a wedding or a festival (or trying to corral the student body of an elementary school). In the event that your event is running late please let us know as soon as possible.
We will make every effort to accommodate good faith delays of up to 30 minutes.
For delays in excess of 30 minutes, our team reserves the right to (at our sole discretion) either:
- unilaterally nullify the agreement, resulting in no further obligations for you or our team; OR
- request an additional donation in consideration of our team’s opportunity cost.
Our decision will be guided by performer availability, our team’s obligations to our other clients, and the totality of the circumstances surrounding the delay.
Other Questions
What is your team name?
We are the Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team.
In written or spoken materials, please refer to us by that name. After the first instance, you may subsequently refer to us by the acronym TDDT.
The following should be avoided:
Texas Dragon Dance TeamTexas Lion Dance TeamTexas Lion/Dragon Dance TeamTexas Dragon and Lion Dance TeamTD/LDT- Anything including the terms “The University of Texas at Austin,” “UT Austin,” or “UT.” We are not officially sponsored by the University.
What if I have a question not answered on this page?
Please send us an e-mail and our client contact team will be happy to answer any questions you might have.