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Ethnic Indian lion dancers continue their late master's legacy
The Star
Follow
2/8/2024
Their passion for the lion dance has led a group of Malaysian-Indian performers to restart their former master’s troupe after a 10-year hiatus.
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00:00
[BELLS RINGING]
00:10
Passionate for lion dance, a group of Indian performers
00:13
restarted their former master's lion dance team, Taiyan Lion
00:18
Dance Association in Rawang, after 10 years of it
00:21
shutting down.
00:23
The original team started in the 1980s by Ong Yu-Kee
00:27
and closed in 2011 after his passing.
00:31
Of Indian ethnicity but adopted into a Chinese family,
00:35
Ong had a multiracial lion dance team.
00:39
A decade later, his Indian students
00:42
took the helm to continue his legacy,
00:44
headed by his former student, Achi Babu Subramaniam,
00:48
and only daughter, Angel Ong Siu Fung.
00:51
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
00:59
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
01:25
I learned this thing at eight years old.
01:27
Then after my sifu passed away, I cannot leave this thing.
01:30
Anyway, I go see the lion dance drama,
01:33
my aunt also really dance like this.
01:35
Then I cannot leave this one.
01:37
I get the opportunity, want to open this team.
01:39
OK, I open.
01:41
They started looking for sponsors
01:42
and registered the name officially as a team.
01:46
It was difficult as the team formed right out
01:48
of the pandemic in 2021.
01:52
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
02:19
She said now the team is 15 members strong,
02:22
ranging between 10 to 43 years old.
02:26
The team leader, Achi Babu, is applying
02:29
to be recognized as the first Indian lion dance
02:32
team in the Malaysian book of records.
02:35
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
02:36
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
02:52
Achi Babu had invested 50,000 ringgit to start the team.
02:57
I also got very proud because one Indian can do this one.
03:03
So much pain I got.
03:05
The people also said, you cannot do.
03:08
You must go to the Chinese people.
03:09
I think the past year, I got 30 members.
03:15
But one problem, all out already.
03:17
That time, I'm very painful.
03:19
I cannot go to the booking.
03:21
I never give up.
03:23
Never give up.
03:23
I can do.
03:24
Never mind.
03:25
We do, we do, we do, we do.
03:27
Lastly, until now, this one.
03:29
This Chinese New Year, the team had bookings
03:32
from 9 to 17 February in Bangkok, Setiawan, Kedah,
03:36
and also back home in Rawang.
03:40
Around 30% of their bookings are by Chinese customers.
03:45
Achi Babu said he is planning to open a second branch in Bangkok
03:49
and considers entering his team for competitions next year.
03:54
One of Ong Yu-Ki's former students, Suresh Ramachandran,
03:58
said it was the intense passion that brought him back
04:01
to the truth.
04:02
[DRUMMING]
04:05
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
04:12
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
04:15
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
04:19
[DRUMMING]
04:22
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
04:26
[BLANK_AUDIO]
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0:58
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