Covid-19 to keep Sabah's lion dance troupes at bay during CNY

 By Olivia Miwil - January 11, 2021 @ 11:59am

For San Seng Gung (Hong Teck) Lion Dance and Sports Club, 2021 will be the second year in which costumes and drums are shelved due to the spread of Covid-19. - NSTP/ courtesy of San Seng Gung and Xuan Long

KOTA KINABALU: The Chinese New Year celebration is only a month away, but lion dance troupes here will not be showcasing their colourful skills.

For San Seng Gung (Hong Teck) Lion Dance and Sports Club, 2021 will be the second year in which costumes and drums are shelved due to the spread of Covid-19.

Team leader Karl Chin, 39, said the troupe, which primarily trains for tournaments, has not been practising the cultural dance since March last year.

"Apart from worrying about the kids (troupe members) getting infected with Covid-19, we also feel obliged to be responsible citizens.

"As the frontliners are already dealing with so many Covid-19 cases, we do not want to burden them any further," he said.

Chin said taking swab tests ahead of each training session would be costly as well.

Another troupe from Tambunan echoed Chin's sentiments about prioritising the safety of team members and the public.

Xuan Long Dragon and Lion Dance Tambunan leader Allen Yong Chun Wei, 25, said all this while, their priority is on educating others about Chinese culture.

But this time around, the troupe's activities are postponed as Standard Operating Procedures at social gatherings are expected to be tightened.

"Almost half of the members are Kadazan, Dusun and Murut. They had even represented the team in international tournaments.

"We also do performances during Chinese New Year, at weddings and other auspicious celebrations," he said, adding that they usually receive up to 30 bookings during the Chinese New Year month.