A clip of a Malaysian lion dance troupe performing without any instruments playing in the background has gone viral.
The video, which was shared by a Facebook user, sees a solo yellow lion dancing at a storefront. But the loud drums and cymbals that we’re so used to hearing during a lion dance show? There was none of that.
Instead, members of the troupe ‘sang’ a background track for the performance, creating an a capella chorus of “deng deng deng” and “chak chak chak” as the lion entered the shop.
Some netizens were amused by the display, with one sharing that it was their “first time ever watching a lion dance performance without drums”.
However, some criticised them for “breaking tradition” with this unconventional performance style.
The netizen who posted the video went as far as to shame the troupe for being “an embarrassing representation of the traditional Chinese performance”, and accused them of only being concerned about “earning some money”, referring to the tradition where people generally hand out ang pows to lion dance troupes that perform in their stores or houses as a reward for ushering luck into their space.
The lion dance troupe has since responded to the buzz surrounding the incident.
They explained that on that day, they had just finished a performance, and members of the troupe suggested they visit the shops nearby to spread CNY greetings. They were not able to have their instrument team follow them, and as such, were simply trying to adapt to the situation.
They emphasised that they “were not trying to get money out of it” and urged the poster to contact them privately for further clarification.
They also posted an apology on their page, promising that they “will not repeat the same mistake again”.
The clip for sure brought us some laughs, though — do you think the troupe deserved the criticism they received?
Photos: Lim Kat Chung/ Facebook