Beating drums, clashing cymbals and resounding gongs - the moment you hear these signature sounds of a lion dance, you know that Chinese New Year has begun. To many of us who celebrate this festive season, lion dances are familiar sights, as the prancing of lions has long been a symbol of good luck and fortune. Yet, with COVID-19 distancing measures implemented nation-wide, many wonder whether crowds gathering around troupes to watch lion dances would be possible in this new year of the Ox.
With the rising trend of performances going online last year, many troupes have innovated and moved the traditional art form to non-traditional platforms. Our very own lion dance troupe, the NUS Lion Dance, has also quickly risen to the occasion with their latest performance on Zoom for the Office of Student Affairs’ (OSA) Chinese New Year celebration.
Improvise – Adapt – Overcome
As two dancers hidden in the colourful lion head moved fluidly across the stage to the exciting beats of cymbals, drums and gongs, which were played by three other members, the synergy of the group was impressive. It was one thing to preserve the robustness of the dance when everyone was treading the line between adhering to safety measures and going full-out; but to transcend it across the boundary of a digital platform and capture viewers’ attention throughout the performance, it required commitment and rigorous practice.
Ong Yue Yang, Treasurer of the NUS Lion Dance, said that it definitely took extra effort to perform the dance with Safe Management Measures (SMM) in place.
“Normally performances can last from 10-30mins and it’s really very tiring to hold up the lion and perform for the entire duration. This is really a big challenge especially for the lion, since it is very physically demanding. Every time a move or stance is done, it is equivalent to running 200m on a track while holding up weights. The biggest issue is that the two performers in the lion have to be further apart. This means we cannot do high jumps or more impressive moves.”
In addition, the group had to be nimble and improvise to last-minute technical difficulties, an issue that is almost too common at this point for online performances.
Ong explained: “Whether it is Zoom, YouTube or Facebook, it just lacks the atmosphere. Audience will not be able to enjoy this performance at different angles. Ultimately, we used the GoPro and computer for the performance.”
“Technology being technology, it fails sometimes. We have tried and prepared different types of equipment to show the best angles of the dance, but [sometimes] problems still happen,” he added.
Of course, Ong told us that was only a small obstacle in comparison to the entire creative journey the group has persevered through during this pandemic.
“For the safety of the troupes, they have to apply for a permit from Singapore Wushu Dragon & Lion Dance Federation. Recruitment was also heavily dampened by COVID-19.”
When there is a will, there is a way
That being said, these daunting challenges did not stop the NUS Lion Dance from keeping the lion dance tradition alive, and their passion for this art form afire.
Ong credited his teammates for their passion and determination: “I believe the executive committee, especially our Vice-President (External) Xue Shen, did an incredible amount of work, defending the group and travelling back and forth to make this possible.”
“We hope to promote lion dance and encourage more exchange students, non-Chinese and females to join. Diversity would definitely be cool. We want to change the current mindset people may have of the art form and help them see how unique it actually is. The best thing will be to be able to perform on national or even international stage, to represent NUS and Singapore in competition,” said Ong.
Hard work definitely paid off, and the troupe’s commitment, efforts and performance have been greatly appreciated and warmly received.
Elissa Chia, member of the OSA staff welfare committee said: "We have been a regular supporter of the NUS Lion Dance, and their performance has become an office tradition since 2018. Due to the University's SMM, we weren't able to see them face-to-face this year, but watching them via live-streaming and interacting with them real-time is as close as we can get."
If you are interested, follow the NUS Lion Dance on Instagram to catch their future shows and drop them a visit during their rehearsals on Wednesday nights.
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Writer: Le Khuc Hoang Uyen, Undergraduate, CNM
