SIBU, Jan 24 ― Despite the fact that this year is the "Year of the Wood Dragon”, lion dance is in far higher demand for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration.

Sibu Martial Arts Association (SMAA) chief coach Gilbert Wong said bookings remain heavy for lion dance with Chinese New Year only two weeks away.

"There is also demand for the dragon dance, although the traditional culture to get the lion dance remains popular,” he added.

Wong said the response this year is very encouraging, with the first four days of the celebration being fully-booked.

"We received about 10 to 15 bookings for the first four days. We will be performing the lion dance from 8am to 6pm, depending on the locality.

"The lion dance is synonymous with the Chinese New Year celebration, and its absence is generally described as the ‘missing link’ if the celebration takes place without it,” he said.

Wong believes that the Chinese community will celebrate Chinese New Year in full force this year, without being restricted by Covid-19 or other issues.

According to Wong, the lion dance performers had been training hard in their main gym located at Jalan Lanang, pumping in energy to improve on their steps and synchronisation to the sound of the gongs and cymbals.

He would ensure that his performers put their best foot forward and are able to execute the dance steps when it matters most.

"We do not want to give sloppy services; we want to produce high-quality performances that will make our clients seek out our services,” he added.

Wong said that most of his performers are also wushu exponents, which makes it easy for them to work on their routines and performances.

"In lion dance, the timing is important and also the steps and all this adds colour to the performance of the lion dance troupe.”

Again, Wong did not rule out the possibility of `fly-by-night’ lion dance troupes which is bound to surface during the festive season.

"Generally, the people do not view the fly-by-night lion dance troupes performance as an issue, so long as they get the lion dance to perform for them.”

Wong said that explained why they always put emphasize on quality and money-worth performance.

"We do not want to give sloppy services; we want to produce high-quality performances that will make our clients seek out our services.

"Most of my performers are also wushu exponents, which makes it easy for them to work on their routines and performances.

"Timing and steps are important in lion dance, and these elements add colour to the troupe’s performance,” he said.

Wong also did not rule out the possibility that there fly-by-night lion dance troupes, which are bound to surface during the festive season.

"Generally, people do not see performance by the fly-by-night lion dance troupes as an issue as long as they get them to perform the lion dance.

"Nevertheless, we always emphasise high-quality performances that are worth the money,” he said. ― Borneo Post