A public panel discussion that uses the powerful and familiar image of lion dancing to spark a deeper conversation about culture, identity, and representation in a diverse society. Presented as part of LunarFest GTA and hosted in collaboration with community and academic partners, the panel invites audiences of all backgrounds to reflect on how cultural traditions are practiced, interpreted, and transformed over time.
Drawing from the lived experiences of lion dance practitioners and cultural workers, the discussion explores questions such as: Who gets to represent a culture? How do traditions evolve when they travel across borders? Where is the line between appreciation and appropriation? And how do stereotypes shape public understanding of cultural practices? Lion dancing becomes a starting point for examining these broader dynamics, particularly within diasporic and multicultural contexts like Canada.
Rather than offering definitive answers, the panel emphasizes open dialogue and multiple perspectives. Audience members are encouraged to engage with the speakers and consider their own relationship to culture—whether as practitioners, spectators, or community members. This panel creates a space to challenge assumptions, unpack complexities, and rethink how cultural traditions are seen and valued in contemporary society.
Dr. Tulsi Dharel
Dr. Tulsi Dharel, MBA, PhD, CM, is a distinguished Professor of Marketing at Centennial College in Toronto, where he has been teaching since 2007. He brings more than three decades of experience in higher education, including extensive international teaching, research, and advisory work.
Within Centennial College, Dr. Dharel has demonstrated sustained academic leadership through service as an Academic Governor, College Council Member, Program Coordinator for the Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations, and a member of the Research Ethics Board. His commitment to teaching excellence has been recognized through three nominations for the Excellence in Teaching Award. He holds both a PhD and an MBA in Marketing and is a designated Chartered Marketer (CM) through the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), where he has also served for several years as a national competition judge and committee member.
Beyond academia, Dr. Dharel is a highly respected community leader and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. He served as President of the Canadian Multicultural Council and is the founder of multiple organizations dedicated to cultural preservation, integration, and civic engagement within Canada’s multicultural society. Internationally, he is the founder of the Nepalese Marketing Association (NMA), serving as its International Advisor and Lifetime Honorary Member, and has contributed as an International Marketing Advisor to the Government of Mongolia.
Dr. Dharel’s contributions across education and community leadership have been recognized through numerous honors, including the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2024), Canada’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award (2019), Outstanding Asian‑Canadian Award (2017), Global Exemplary Leadership Award (2023), and the Outstanding Canadian Award (2025).
Joanne Wong
Joanne Wong is a second-generation Chinese Canadian educator who is passionate about building cultures that connect people through humanizing, relational approaches. Grounded in intercultural communication, her work is especially attentive to those often overlooked and the “invisible” qualities within individuals that shape new connections, meanings, and possibilities.
Across professional and community contexts, Joanne draws on her lived experience, relational networks, and the practice of working resourcefully with those already present to support people in navigating complex systems and diverse spaces. She is a co-creator of “A Story of And,” a resource that invites reflection on the interconnectedness of all things, using East Asian racism as an entry point for conversation and collective learning.
Outside of her advocacy for systemic change, Joanne can often be found running, spending time with her kids, or doing what she does best—creatively making something out of “whatever happens to be there,” including random leftovers in her fridge.
Diana Webley
Based in the diverse city of Toronto, Diana Webley specializes in artistic direction, planning, programming, development, producing, and making pathways to produce abroad. Webley has worked extensively in the North American market to develop opportunities in mentorship, networking, and collaborations, and is currently working on expansion into the global market.
She is the Senior Manager of Arts & Culture at Harbourfront Centre, which annually produces over a thousand innovative events, featuring hundreds of artists and cultural exchanges each year. Over her 21-year tenure at the organization, her roles have included Artistic Associate, Project Coordinator and Senior Producer. In 2018, Webley joined Centennial College’s Arts Management program faculty as a part-time Professor.
Charlie Wu
Charlie Wu is currently a board member of the Canadian Association of Performing Arts. He joined the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society in 1999 and took over as Managing Director of the Taiwanese Cultural Festival in 2001. As the Director of Arts for Canadians Tomorrow Society, he expanded the reach of TAIWANfest and developed another flagship event, LunarFest. He has been instrumental in redefining TAIWANfest from a community cultural festival to a platform engaging the broader community through arts and culture. Building for the common good through arts and culture is central to his vision, both in Canada and Taiwan.
An annual celebration of the Lunar New Year through arts and storytelling. We invite the diverse communities of Canada to join us in creating new traditions to welcome a new year, together!
Stay up to date on our cultural events
LunarFest GTA is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, that is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered on this land, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples whose arts and stories inspire us to bring communities together.
Stay up to date on our cultural events
LunarFest GTA is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, that is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered on this land, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples whose arts and stories inspire us to bring communities together.