TEENAGER Rahman Hakim is into his fourth year performing in a lion dance troupe and still loves every minute of it.

The member of the Kepong-based Loong Wai Lion Dance troupe has been hooked on the Chinese traditional dance ever since he watched performances as a child.

Rahman joined the crew when he was 10, learning to play the drums first.

Proudly, he told The Malaysian Insight that this is a very important task because his drum beats cue the lion’s movements. Missing a beat can disrupt the entire performance.

“The lion moves according to the beat. If I miss a beat, it can create confusion. I need to be very precise in my drumming.

“At first it was challenging, but my family has been very supportive, allowing me to practice and perform in shows as well.

“After four years, I think I can now play the drums better. I can also play the lion’s tail, which is also fun,” Rahman, now 14, said.

He said he has many Malay friends who are also into lion dancing and they practice and perform together.

Rahman’s senior in the troupe is 28-year-old Sanjivan Kurhandran, who is noticing that Malay youths and their families are more receptive towards this Chinese cultural dance traditionally performed at Chinese New Year to usher in good luck and prosperity.

This year, after two years of quiet Chinese New Year celebrations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, lion dances were back in action at shopping malls.

Among the performers were Malay youths.

“We have seven to eight Malay boys, who have been with this group for five to six years already,” Sanjivan said.

“Previously, many of them did not have support from their parents, but now all of these boys have their parent’s permission to join in lion dances, and to practise and participate in performances.”

His fascination with lion dances began in his teenage years, so much so that he and a group of fellow students, regardless of race, started a lion dance group of their own, but without support from their school.

“We raised our own money by getting sponsors and we managed to collect RM12,000 to buy the drums, lion mask and other equipment.

“This was back in 2010 when I was 16 years old. We had someone to teach us and we paid him from the money we raised,” he said.

However, the school put a stop to their activities after one year, as many of them were to sit for their SPM examination.

“After Form Five, many of us lost interest in lion dancing as we began to look for jobs or to further our studies, but I was still eager to have my own lion dance group.”

Dream come true

As a young adult, Sanjivan started his own event company but never forgot his dream of performing with a lion dance troupe.

When he came across the Loong Wai Lion and Dragon Dance troupe, already established for 17 years, he jumped at the opportunity.

Founded by Yong Nen Chuang, the troupe had been accepting and training non-Chinese lion dancers over the years.

“One of my former teachers introduced me to this group. Here, I met a lot of Malay boys who were all very talented and loved lion dancing.

This year, after two years of inactivity due to the pandemic, Sanjivan said demand for performances has been overwhelming.

The troupe was unable to practise or to perform for the past two years, and had its last show in 2020 on March 14, just before the first movement control order.

“This year, we had 35 bookings and managed to complete all of them. This was the first week of the Chinese New Year just before the Omicron wave started to hit.”

“In the second week of Chinese New Year, we had some shows cancelled because people were concerned about the Omicron variant.

“Yet we just managed to perform at another event. Our clients are generally very supportive of us and they admire the kids in the troupe because many are Malays,” Sanjivan said.

Better than playing video games

In Air Itam, Penang, 15-year-old Siraj Dannish Abdul Aziz is his troupe’s only Malay student.

He joined the Penang Shang Wu Sports and Cultural Association when he was 13, and has since decided that practicing lion dancing is a good use of his time.

“I joined the group to fill my free time. If not, I will be playing video games.

“My parents are supportive because to them, playing video games is a waste of time and I enjoy performing and practicing with friends,” said Siraj who is also fluent in Mandarin and a few Chinese dialects.

Siraj, who grew up in Air Itam, said his fellow friends in the troupe had taught him a lot.

“It is not easy at first but as you practice, slowly you will be able to grasp the movements.

“Thanks to my friends who helped me improve. At the moment, I am learning to be the head of the lion. The most important part in the lion dance.”

While he is still practicing the role of the lion’s head, when it comes to performances, Siraj is the tail.

“I follow the head’s movement and make sure I sync. The training is intense because we want every move to be perfect.

“If I slip or fall, the movement will not be accurate. Therefore, it is important for me to know where the head is going and make sure my movements follow the head. We have to train a lot,” the Methodist Boys’ School student said.

Other than performing during Chinese New Year, the lion dance is also performed at important occasions such as business opening events, special celebrations or wedding ceremonies, or may be used to honour special guests by the Chinese community.

The Penang Shang Wu association can be contacted on Facebook, while for the Loong Wai association, bookings can be made through Sanjivan on 016-365-7434. – February 18, 2022.