Chester Lim
KUCHING (Jan 6): Chinese Martial Arts Association Kuching is optimistic that lion dance performances will be allowed during this Chinese New Year which falls on Feb 1.
Speaking to The Borneo Post, association president Chester Lim said lion dance troupes are still required to obtain police permit for performances, though there appears to be no restrictions from the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) as of now.
“On the lion dance performances for the opening of businesses, since December 2021 until now, we have been advised by SDMC to apply for police approval to make public performances,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Secondly, as far as his associations as well as the other lion dance groups were concerned, Lim said they would carry on with their activities for the upcoming festival should there be no restrictions imposed by SDMC.
“We would carry on with activities, bearing in mind the need to comply to the standard operating procedures (SOP), including social distancing and wearing of face masks,” said Lim.
For example, he said his association had reduced the size of a lion dance troupe to about 10 to 12 people for a pair of ‘lions’ dance performance, a 50 per cent reduction from the previous 20 to 30 per troupe.
Lamenting that there were not much activities for lion dance troupes in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic first broke out, Lim said SDMC had also issued a prohibition notice for 2021 due to the SOP restrictions.
“Our members are keen to perform for this coming Chinese New Year festival, particularly when not many performances were allowed for the past two years.”
Looking at the current local Covid-19 infection rate, he said the situation now was much better than those of the previous years.
He also pointed to the state’s successful Covid-19 vaccination programme for the public and the efficient rollout of booster shots to keep the latest variant of coronavirus at bay.
“Thus, with the easing of Covid-19, we hope SDMC does not issue a prohibition notice on lion dance activities for this coming Chinese New Year.”
On a separate note, Lim said his association will be conducting the unveiling of new lions starting at 9am this coming Sunday at Tua Pek Kong temple here for this year’s Chinese New Year, to usher in good luck and fortune.
He said the unveiling of new lions has been a tradition for the past 47 years, since 1974.
from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3zt3cug
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