We're all in this together

Although Malaysia is a multiracial country, the traditional art of Chinese lion dance is nowhere near perishing.

Lion dance performances are usually associated with joyous occasions such as Lunar New Year, welcoming a VIP, ground breaking ceremonies and festive/religious events. It’s a centuries-old tradition dating back to the Han Dynasty, when lion dancers were mostly from martial arts schools who used their acrobatic kicks and jumps to ring in the auspicious occasion.

These days, lion dance is kept alive by an ethnic Chinese minority that makes up 22% of Malaysia’s 30 million people.

MCSIM is extremely proud to be able to form our very own lion dance troupe and to continue spreading our Chinese traditions.

As ASEAN University Games (AUG) is coming to Singapore this year, we are very privileged to be invited to perform at the Opening Ceremony of AUG 2016!

During one of the rehearsals, our Lion Dance Coach said, “… from what I know, there are about 650 Lion Dance troupes/teams in Singapore. So why did the AUG 2016 Organising Committee invited us to perform at the Opening Ceremony?”

Upon hearing what he said, I’m sure most of our members felt a sense of pride in them. Personally, I was deeply amazed by this revelation because of its magnitude and honestly, we feel that this is a huge honour for our MCSIM Lion Dance to be a part of AUG 2016.

Ever since we have received the invitation, our Lion Dance team has been actively training very hard each week so that we are ready to showcase our efforts to everyone watching us.

As you can see, all of us are wearing the same flaming red bottoms. The coach explained that this is to show we are a team, and we are in this together! In a lion dance group, trust and teamwork are extremely important, which is why we wear the same bottoms to display and build the team spirit. Indeed.. The older one gets, the wiser you become.