Ethnic Indian lion dancers continue their late master's legacy
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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NewsTranscript
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]