Japan's lion dances, and there are about 7,800 of them, all have their own style but the purpose is mainly the same. The shishi (lion) dances act as a prayer to ward off evil spirits. The National Theater will host five sacred shishi performances from 1 p.m. and 4: 30 p.m. on Jan. 30. The dances are from Nagano, Hyogo, Kyoto, Gifu and Mie prefectures in the Chubu and Kinki regions of the country.