The Malaysian Insight

A CERTAIN noise will be missing from Chinese New Year celebrations this year – that of the clashing cymbals and pounding drums that accompany the traditional lion dance.

Bookings for the colourful performance are down 90%, cancelled along with the large, festive gatherings that usually take place to usher in the lunar new year, which falls on February 12 and 13 this year.

Dance troupes told The Malaysian Insight their usual patrons, such as shopping malls, shops and homes, are not booking shows because of virus restrictions.

Even if the movement-control order (MCO) expires on February 4 as scheduled, many have opted to give the performance a miss.

Dragon and Lion Dance Federation of Malaysia secretary-general Yong Kheng Chien said reservations usually began streaming in a month before the Chinese New Year.

“Since it is unclear whether the government will extend the MCO, most have decided to cancel their bookings. Only a handful have kept their bookings, about 20% of business.

“If the MCO is extended, these, too, will be cancelled,” Yong said.

Professional dancers are on a monthly payroll and they are at risk of losing their livelihoods, he said.

The troupes have been surviving on last year’s CNY earnings. In non-epidemic times, they also perform at store openings, temple events and the Mid-Autumn Festival, among other auspicious occasions clients might want to celebrate.

“However, such activities were cancelled in the past year due to the pandemic.

“We are worried that if we are unable to perform this year, at least 1,200 lion dance troupes in the country could go bankrupt.”

Yong is worried that the professional dancers, who are young and fit, could decide to embark on new careers and abandon the art, spelling the end of a much-loved cultural tradition that is popular around the world.

“If the young ones stop practising, they will gradually lose interest, which may lead to a dearth of lion dancers in the future.”

Chief instructor at the International Hong Teck Sports Association, Siow Ho Phiew, said around 20% of their usual clients have kept their bookings.

“They still believe in having a lion dance once a year for good luck.

“We’ve told the clients that we will perform as long as the government eases the movement restrictions.”

Siow said the curbs had made it hard for the troupe to rehearse as a group.

“But if we don’t practise, our performance will not be up to par.”

The dancers have kept up rehearsals but with masks on, temperature checks and plenty of sanitiser, said Siow, who is known as a master in art of lion dancing.

Couldn’t the lion dance performances be streamed online, like many events have done amid a health crisis?

Siow said the dance would lose its meaning and significance if performed virtually.

Lion dance coach Gray Tan Chin Wei said his troupe began receiving bookings last October but the majority were cancelled when the government brought back the MCO earlier this month.

His troupe, the Klang Hong Teck Dragon and Lion Dance in Selangor, has been performing for 11 years yet continues to practise to maintain form and stay in shape.

“I choose to be optimistic and hope that the MCO will end before Chinese New Year so that we can perform again.

“New Year bookings provide our income for the whole year. It costs about RM2,000 per month to maintain a troupe. The pandemic has reduced performance opportunities and we are surviving on our savings. 

“I don’t know how long we will last.” – January 29, 2021.