Yee Chun Leong
SERIA
THE lion dance is a common sight during Chinese New Year as a way to ring in luck and prosperity.
It is not only important culturally for the Chinese but in recent times has grown into a gravity-defying competitive sport.
Hei Wang Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe, a Seria-based side, contested at the 1st Southeast Asian Lion Dance Championships in Kuala Lumpur in October last year. [Watch here]
They finished outside of a podium but it gave captain Brandon Sim a taste of how he can take the troupe to new heights.
"After eight long years, we were recognised by Malaysia to compete. It was a bit last-minute and we rushed everything with no prior competition experience," said Sim in an interview with BruSports News on Sunday.
"But it was worth it as it's all part of the experience and we learned a lot on competition strategies.
"The most important part is that we must always be prepared both mentally and physically," he added.
Sim started out his involvement in lion dance at the age of five but it was only in 2014 when he co-founded Hei Wang.
"Forming the troupe was always part of my dream to have my own team, with the sacrifice and commitment to build to what it is today," said Sim.
"Hei Wang currently has grown up to 29 members in the troupe and we are looking forward to recruit the younger ones if they're committed to it.
"The goal here is to educate people to be open minded to this culture and showing the public the true definition of lion dance," added the 24-year-old.
Sim also finds that there is a uniqueness to them.
"We are unique in many different ways from the types of uniform people seldom see here in Brunei to rhythm of the instruments with different ideas to match the lion's heartbeat," explained Sim.
"Our lions have different colours and designs and lastly the way we play the lion like a real one because once you're inside the costume, you're a lion not a human anymore, we must not stand or look like a camel for an example," he added.
For any competition, there needs to be at least eight participants - the lion head, tail, two pairs of cymbals, a gong player, a drummer, leader and coach.
When asked on who gets selected to compete, Sim replied: "For now it is based on who has the most experience in their positions.
"Only six of the participants will be able to perform while the coach and leader can't get involved," he concluded.
Hei Wang will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary in the Year of the Dragon and supporters can look forward to seeing some new performances.
