Moving to the beat with dexterity

IF THERE is one thing former two-time national and world champion Yess Cheong would like to point out about lion dancing is that it must be accompanied by live music.

“You need live drum beats to lead the lion,” he said.

Like verbal instructions, the beats are meant to tell the lion how to move and behave, he added.

“The drummers and cymbalists must also pay close attention to the lion’s gestures.

“They must know if the dancers are out of breath and whether they need a few moments to get their energy back or are ready to carry on.

“The audience will not notice these signals as they are very subtle.

“It may be in the batting of the lion’s eyes, the look of a dancer’s face or the way he shuffles his feet,” said Cheong, who is chief coach with Yi Meng Lion Art.

Cheong standing in front of a wall of trophies won by him and his team.

He also revealed how hard the lion dancers’ training regimen is.

They include doing up to 30 squats at a time with a 60kg pole balanced on the shoulders, frog jumps and duck walks.

Cheong said these were just some of the exercises he had to do to build leg strength when he first started. This is especially needed for high pole performances.

“Both dancers will have to jump together with the front man using the momentum to lift his partner at the back to get up the pole,” he said.

Dancers who are in competition also have to watch their diet.

“Two weeks before competition, there would be no cold drinks.

“Intake of spicy and sour food should also be limited.

“These dietary observations are meant to reduce cramps and improve breathing and stamina,” said Cheong.

Mohammad Azryan (front) and Muhammad Syahril (back) during a lion dance performance in Da Men Mall in Subang Jaya.

Malaysian spirit

While lion dance may be a Chinese art form, Malaysian troupes are known to be multiracial.

At Jun Wai Dragon and Lion Dance in Kuala Lumpur, an 18-year-old troupe founded by entrepreneur Datuk Mak Tay Wai, there are also Indian, Orang Asli and Malay performers

“As long as dancers are fit, they are welcome. We believe in being inclusive,” he said.

Standing out in this group are Mohammad Azryan Abu Bakar and Muhammad Syahril Tomas, both 20, and known for their acrobatic prowess.

When not performing, Mohammad Azryan works as a lorry driver assistant while Muhammad Syahril is a storekeeper.

Recalling how they first became members of the troupe, Mohammad Azryan said they were both nine when they saw a lion dance performance outside a shop in their hometown of Bandar Ramai Ramai in Sandakan, Sabah.

“Fascinated with the costumes and moves, we waited for the show to end before approaching the master who said that if we were interested, he’d teach us,” he said.

Mak says Jun Wai Dragon and Lion Dance has Indian, Orang Asli and Malay troupe members as well.

Mohammad Azryan and Muhammad Syahril have been flying over to Kuala Lumpur from Sabah to perform with the troupe for the last four years.

They are often called up during peak season to fill in for other Kuala Lumpur-based members who cannot get leave from work in the preceding weeks before the long Chinese New Year break.

“We are doing this firstly, for fun, and secondly, the camaraderie,” said Mohammad Azryan.

The two have been treating their yearly sojourns to Kuala Lumpur, where they will stay with other performers in a Jalan Kuchai Lama shophouse for a month, as a holiday.

“In addition to the practice sessions and looking at how we can execute certain moves from watching other troupes perform, we’d also joke and talk about our dreams and ambitions,” said Mohammad Azryan.

“Despite not being Chinese, no one in the troupe in Sandakan or Kuala Lumpur has ever questioned our intentions.

“The glue that binds us is not race but a mutual interest in preserving the art form,” said Muhammad Syahril who aims to become a world champion one day.

SK(C) Sungai Chua Kajang Old Boys Association lion dance troupe starting their practice sessions with the horse stance to build leg strength.

Lessons on values

What has ensured the popularity of lion dance performance are the efforts put into its preservation.

Where the 45-year-old SJK(C) Sungai Chua Kajang Old Boys Association lion dance troupe in Selangor is concerned, the transmission of values has been pivotal to its continuity.

Also vital is the steady supply of volunteers in former students who are willing to teach newbies the ropes.

Its coach Chen Kwee Wai said loyalty, kindness, justice, courage, wisdom, teamwork and politeness were integral to lion dance.

“That is why so many parents are keen to see their children become members of lion dance troupes,” he said.

Chen, who started learning lion dance in Year 6, admitted that coaches were friendlier now compared to his time.

“For example, newbies today are not ordered to maintain a 30-minute horse stance on the first day.

“Today’s coaches prefer to build endurance gradually.

“They will also take the time to form a rapport and bond with new performers.

“If lion dance is taken as just another form of exercise, trainees might lose interest and leave when the training gets tough,” added Chen.

Kuen Cheng High School lion dance club practices twice a week for two hours each time using hula hoops to reduce the wear and tear on lion heads. — Photos: MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI, SHAARI CHEMAT, SAMUEL ONG and LOW LAY PHON/The Star

Equal gender opportunities

Unlike in the early years when males dominated the sport, female participation has increased over the years.

When the Kuen Cheng High School lion dance club in Kuala Lumpur was formed in 2009, it was an all-girls group.

“The school principal thought it would be an activity boys would like but it was the girls who took to it first ,” said Cynthia Chee, who handles the school’s public relations.

Club member Tan Jing Ying, 17, said what drew many of them to join was the pull of the drum beats.

“Whenever I hear them, I feel a special kind of energy,” she said.

Two boys eventually joined the club a year later, and they were taught by girls who were trained to perform moves traditionally performed by males.

Today, though the gender ratio has equalled out, the longest staying members of the troupe are girls, Woo Yong Ying and Tham Chu Yun, both 18, who joined in 2018.

There are 20 members currently and practice sessions are held twice a week.

Trainees use hula hoops to warm up; this not only saves the wear and tear of their lion heads but allows newbies a non-obscured view of the movements.

The team is now under the watchful eye of coach Ekson Eng, who is from Khuan Loke Lion Dance Academy and has been coaching the troupe since 2017.

“Lion dance clubs in schools started as early as the 1950s but it was only in the 1980s that more schools introduced it as an extra-curricular activity.

“At that time, the troupe from Hin Hua High School was among the most popular in Klang Valley,” he said.

However, the main objective of school lion dance clubs is unlike those of commercial troupes who aim to wow with gravity-defying acrobatic moves, said Eng.

Routines for school lion dance troupes were still largely confined to ground performances for safety reasons, he said.

Most lion dance performances like this one at Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur will draw a crowd.

Rewarding venture

How much lion dancers earn will depend on their experience and qualification.

For amateur troupes like Kuen Cheng, the fees can start at RM688 per show.

Cheong, who was sent by his father at age 17 to study the art of southern lion dancing and coaching in Hong Kong, earned RM10,000 per month at his peak.

Today, in addition to his full-time job as operations head for his family’s lorry transportation business, he also offers lion dance courses to companies for team-building at RM250 per head for three hours.

For Mohammad Azryan and Muhammad Syahril, who are still working their way up, monthly payments can range between RM2,000 and RM3,000 depending on the number of shows and the terms of agreement.

Protection wise, Chen said most groups would make do with general insurance coverage and a layer of thick mattresses placed under high poles during rehearsals.

However, professionals are known to pay high premiums, some as much as RM500 a month, for accident insurance.