Hear her roar in the world of lion dance.
By Dini Qistina Binte Ali, Han Xinyi, Nicolas Goh
The sounds of gong, cymbals and Chinese drums echo through the halls, drawing attention from members of the community passing by. Upon drawing closer, they would come close to a lion dance performance, complete with the instrumental ensemble and a dancing Southern Chinese Lion.
Blinking here and moving animatedly there, the lion in particular continues attracting its audience from start to finish. As the dance comes to a close, two performers reveal themselves from under the lion costume, one of which being 15-year-old Nuraini Adeya Binte Yahya hoisting up the lion head with pride.
Singapore’s lion dance scene is especially celebrated during festive periods, with its practitioners mostly consisting of Chinese males with good physique and stances.
Although it has been documented in sites such as Roots.sg that those of other races and ethnicities are slowly picking up the craft as well, female lion dance practitioners are still relatively uncommon.
Hailing from NamYang Lion Dance Centre Singapore, Nuraini has trained and performed with the troupe for the past two years and counting. As an external activity, she joins sessions after school and during her free time.
While the thought of a Malay girl doing lion dance – let alone one in a Chinese-dominated troupe – may raise a few eyebrows, she actually held a fondness for the performing art from a young age. Although she was not all that aware of its cultural significance as a kid, she was nonetheless mesmerised by the loud and festive performances.
“Even when I’m halfway through eating or busy with something, I would go down my block just to watch the performance (after hearing lion dance performances happening nearby),” Nuraini recounted. She looked back fondly on past Lunar New Year festivities over the years, when the cacophony of lion dance tunes and performances were commonplace around her block or school.
The more she watched the lions dance and enact impressive stances on the ground or on poles, the more intrigued she became with the art.
Her initial fascination eventually grew into something that she aspired to pursue, and it did not take long for her to take the plunge and join a lion dance troupe.
Out of her shell and into the lion
Nuraini’s first run-in with the thought of joining lion dance came at the young age of six, after holding the lion's head for the first time during one of her tuition centre’s cultural events nine years ago.
A lion dance troupe was invited to both perform and showcase the art to students. It was there that she also got the chance to hold one of the lion heads, to which she was immediately drawn to its “cuteness” and inner manoeuvres.
That moment in time planted the seed for her interest in lion dance, which only sprouted into a full-on interest in pursuing it. Despite her interests, there was a part of Nuraini that initially held her back from learning the art form and joining a troupe.
“As the years went by, I still did not have the courage to ask a lion dance troupe if I could join, nor did I know how to go about asking as well…I used to be shy and introverted, and that stopped me from pursuing lion dance much earlier,” she sheepishly admitted.
In today’s local lion dance scene, inter-racial and even predominantly Malay lion dance troupes have popped up, as reported by the Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth’s Kaya publication. Still, her doubts remained.
Her mindset soon changed after a seemingly normal scroll through TikTok two years ago, where she came across NamYang SG’s recruitment video. After much consideration, Nuraini decided to take the plunge and step into the world of lion dance.
Now, Nuraini is the only Malay and female troupe member in NamYang, as well as one of the few who plays the role of the lion head.
Upon approaching NamYang’s troupe leader, 49-year-old Peter Goh, shared that “race and gender don’t really matter” in Lion dance, hence why he got Nuraini on board.
“To me, I'm grateful for her to be part of my team, being willing to learn the Chinese culture even though she’s of a different race,” he said. “She has already taken an extra mile to join our troupe and I feel that doing little things to take care of her or my members is not an issue.”
Tackling disapproval and social stigma
Having been involved with NamYang and lion dance for almost two years now, the stake that Nuraini now holds in this performing art form never came easy.
With Lion dance being a male-dominated space, there was some initial pushback from her friends and family due to cultural stereotypes.
Upon first announcing her plans to learn lion dance, Nuraini’s family – especially her late mother – disapproved of her move due to the differences in culture and religion. On top of that, they were also worried about her safety as the sport requires physical and strenuous movements.
“They both scolded and disapproved of me joining lion dance because it’s from another culture…they were worried for me as they were scared that a lot of things could happen to me,” she recalled. It even got to the point where Nuraini was almost grounded for her decision as her father thought she would be “exposed to bad influence”.
However, Nuraini thought the opposite. She argued that her fellow lion dance troupe members were not anywhere near bad influences. Instead, they have made her “stronger” when she was at her lowest.
When speaking to her father, 57-year-old Yahya Bin Mohamed, he shared that his initial lack of support was because lion dance seemed too “dangerous” and there was “no insurance that would cover her”.
“If she falls down or something happens to her, who can I hold responsible?” he added. His worries only became even more pronounced now as his daughter is currently the sole breadwinner of the family working part-time at a warehouse.
On the flip side, Nuraini also faced the brunt of criticism from her own friends. A good portion of them were enthusiastic about the news, but a handful also expressed their distaste towards her decision to pursue lion dance as her hobby.
Citing religious reasons, some of her Muslim friends called her a “betrayer” just because she joined a lion dance troupe – something that is more affiliated with Chinese culture than religion.
“I decided to pursue my passion even though it is part of Chinese culture, but I still hold respect for the Chinese Gods,” she defended.
Despite these comments, Nuraini believes that Singapore as a multi-racial society should be open to the fusion of races in cultural activities.
“So what if I am Malay? Does it mean I cannot do what Chinese people do?” she said. “All I wanted was to live my life to the fullest and try what I like so that I won’t have any regrets.”
Unexpected setbacks
While the young lion dance performer remains optimistic, living her life to the fullest might not translate well for others. Earlier this year, Nuraini’s confidence was momentarily stunted after a particular performance, where she overheard an audience member remark that a girl should not touch a lion head as it “brings bad luck”.
“I started crying at that point and I didn't know what to do or who to talk my feelings to,” she recalled. “It made me think twice if I should continue my passion or not.”
It was also during this time when Nuraini’s late mother was in critical condition. The youth had to juggle between hospital visits and attending training every day. Physically and mentally exhausted, that specific remark was the final straw that led to a breakdown, especially after having been the recipient of several disapproving comments from peers before.
“My aim in practising lion dance is to bring happiness and joy to others around me through my performances. But all I got in return was negative comments, which made me question myself: Why do I get this type of treatment? Why am I being discriminated against? What is the point of joining lion dance after this?”
Her exhaustion almost caused her to pull out from the competition, but her love for the performing art triumphed over her circumstances.
Eventually, Nuraini found her bearings. Her family and peers alike soon saw how much she thrives in lion dance, and they changed their views while becoming her pillars of support that the girl can fall back on during times of need.
Her father also approves of her passion now, seeing as she can handle both her studies and extracurricular activities well.
After observing her relationship with the craft over the two years, Mr Yahya saw Nuraini’s determination and her troupe environment being “safer than he imagined”.
“Last time her mother would properly look after and control her, but now I am afraid that if I control her she would run away and not come home,” he reflected. “Now if she wants to do lion dance, I will allow her, it’s okay.”
Troupe ties
Her troupe mates have always been supportive of Nuraini, too. Although she admitted that she sometimes “cannot help but feel left out” from conversations due to language and gender differences, she asserted that it does not affect the way they train together.
“Commands and instructions given are mostly given in Mandarin, which makes it difficult for me to understand. But they will help to translate for me,” she said.
Even with these differences, it did not stop her from sharing her knowledge and imparting her skills to her teammates.
Fellow troupe member Kaygen Lin, 14, shared that he “doesn’t really care” about what others say about him working together with Nuraini as a Lion. In the costume, he sees Nuraini as an equal but still maintains his boundaries.
“Lion dance is lion dance, we do what we can just to get our desired standard of performance. Others can say what they want because after all I’m aware that she’s a girl, but the ultimate goal is to put up a good performance for our audience.”
Nuraini understands more than anyone how “lonely” it can be as the odd one out. However, remaining steadfast in her passion has paid off over the years as it has helped her build both her physical and mental strengths.
“Seeing how much she has grown and improved in her skills in Namyang, I should say that I’m proud to have her as a member of our troupe,” shared Mr Peter.
Nuraini often reasserted that “girls can do it too” and should be treated equally as their male counterparts. She said that her mission moving forward is to improve on how she portrays the expression of the lion and the difficult stances that require training so that she could have more opportunities to perform in the future.
“I want to continue to prove to everyone that race and gender don't make a difference. If you set your mind to do it, just go for it,” she said. “And if guys can do it, girls can do it, too. If not, better.”
Heyyy guys! I really liked your story, the concept of showing the experience and journey of a Malay girl joining Lion Dance, in a Chinese-dominated troupe. It is unique and portrays the ways she fits and gets accepted into the community, not letting the fact that she is of a minority race affect her in doing what she loves. - Simran
Hi Dini, Xinyi and Nicolas! It is fascinating to read a story about a young Malay girl breaking barriers by participating in a predominantly Chinese art form with the mindset that "girls can do better." This unique angle is both newsworthy and impactful, showcasing the girl's determination to challenge societal norms and excel in her chosen field. This story highlights the power of individual belief and the potential for positive change in diverse communities.
- Umairah
Hi guys! I think this was a great story idea as I didn't expect that there would be someone interested in another culture's traditional dance. I think that the article also educated me on some opinions that people might have such as a girl being in lion dance and touching the lion's head can bring bad luck. I had not known of that before, and I thought that was interesting.
Overall I think you guys did a great job! Good use of storytelling techniques and the story flows well. Good job once again and rest well :D - nur darin
Hi guys! I love the concept of lion dancers' story, especially something as unique as this. I feel though more could be brought to the table in terms of storytelling.