Jan 26, 2012

Brunei - 3-day ruling too short for CNY troupe



THE tradition of celebrating Chinese New Year (CNY) with dragon and lion dance performances with loud beats of drums and deafening sounds of cymbals came to an official end yesterday for this year's festive season as a three-day ruling by the authorities had to be followed.

The three-day ruling for public performances of lion and dragon dance during Chinese New Year has disappointed many people, said a team leader of a troupe yesterday.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, the team leader who wished to remain anonymous, said that they have only been permitted a three-day approval by the government to perform and collect donations in conjunction with their lion dance performances compared to previous years which was allowed throughout the 15-day festival.

He said the ruling meant that some members of the Chinese community are not able to enjoy the traditional performance.

"The impact is that a lot of people who want to celebrate the lion dance performance in their house were unable to because we have to turn them down," he said.

The team leader said his dance troupe were only able to cater to those who had made advanced booking to be performed during the first three days of Chinese New Year. The team leader added that the restriction also meant a drastic drop in income for the dance troupe which charges a certain fee and collect donations in the form of ang pows (money packets).

The money received, he said, will go to a reserve fund that will be used for educational purposes such as scholarships and building facilities. He stressed that the money does not go to the performers themselves, who are volunteers, including himself who had taken three days off from work just to perform.

When asked how other dragon and lion dance troupes in the country had reacted to the three-day ruling, he commented they are "more or less in the same difficulty like us" and have to abide by the rule. Under the ruling, dragon and lion dance troupes in the country are only permitted to perform in the first three days of Chinese New Year in selected places such as in Chinese temples and selected residences.

According to the team leader, the cultural performance should not just be seen as a tradition and culture. Rather, he said, it had came to be recognised as a serious sport worldwide, adding that it has been accepted as a sport in most international games, "even in the Olympics".

As such, he hoped a leeway could be given for lion dance performances to perform longer where "if two weeks is not possible, at least a week would be good".

Apart from performing during the Chinese New Year celebrations, lion dance performances are popular during events such as a shop openings, wedding receptions or product launchings.

FUNG SIEW MUN
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
The Brunei Times



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