Ethnic Indian lion dancers continue their late master's legacy

The Star

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.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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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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