PETALING JAYA: Lion dance enthusiasts who often marvel at what the lion dancers can do on stilts, can now see them in action at the first International Water Stilt Lion Dance Championship 2019.
Instead of just the challenge of having to perform their acrobatic skills on stilts, they now have to do it with stilts inside the water at the National Aquatic Centre, KL Sports City, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia on 30 Nov and 1 Dec.
Malaysia will play host for the first time to a wide range of countries that have agreed to participate in this championship, with elite teams coming from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Australia and the US.
It is also certified on the Malaysia Book of Records as the first international water stilt lion dance championship.
When asked if Malaysia is the one who thought of the concept to put stilts in the water, Heng Kok Dragon and Lion Dance Association secretary-general Chong Yen Heng said it has been done before in other countries.
“It has been done before in Taiwan, China and most recently Vietnam,“ he said at the press conference after announcing the event at Paradigm Mall in Petaling Jaya today.
He also said having the stilts inside the water posed as an added challenge for the participating lion dance troupes as they would be practising on land, before performing inside the water.
“It is a new challenge, because not everybody can mentally prepare to perform on water. We hope that people can come and participate in this spectacle,“ he said.
He also said registration for the lion dance troupes to participate in the championship remains open until 1 November.
“On the first day, which is 30th November, we will have the national competition among the lion dance troupes in Malaysia. Then we will pick the champion and first runner-up to compete in the international arena at 1st December,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Swan City head of product management Edwin Fuam, said he hopes this will promote the traditional lion dance culture and attract the youth to come see the championship
“We are hoping to promote Malaysia traditional culture, attract more young people and then they can pass on the tradition,“ he said.
The ticket price for first day of the championship is rm38 and the price for the second day is rm68. Those who buy a two-day pass can purchase it at rm98. Tickets will be available online via Ticket Charge and through organisers.
