The Journey of Singapore's Lion Dance
Updated: Feb 10, 2021
Lion Dance definitely has a long history of at least a thousand years. Within this long history, how was Lion Dance was brought to Singapore? How does it play a role in the history of Singapore?
Singapore Hok San Association
Lion Dance was brought to Singapore in the 19th century. It was in 1920 that the immigrants from Heshan, China started Hok San Association. Today, the area is a county in Jiangmen city, Guangdong. It is the oldest Lion Dance troupe in Singapore.
According to Hok San Association, their style is known for its unique footwork, and their focus on the traditional “cat-like” dance moves that helped them win many awards (SGHOKSAN, n.d.).
Infographics Source: (SGHOKSAN, n.d.), (Zaccheus, 2019)
Going Through War
Since the Singapore Hok San Association was founded before Singapore was an independent country, it went through the Japanese Occupation which resulted in them halting all activities. They only resumed after the Japanese surrendered and Hok San Association was invited to participate in the victory parade to welcome the British royal visit after WWII in the 1950s.
Breakthrough
Singapore Hok San Association created history in 1949 by staging a performance by combining Cantonese Opera and Lion Dance at New World Amusement Park which was the first amusement park in Singapore.
By combining both art forms, it was filled with many more colourful characters as well as more interesting storyline and it gained a lot of curiosity from people which helped to spread awareness of the dance forms.
Independence
After Singapore became independent, the Hok San Association lion dance troupe also took part in the national day parade.
References
Chan, S. (2018, February 15). 10 Lion Dances Around Asia & How They’re Different From Singapore’s Version. Must Share News - Independent News For Singaporeans. https://mustsharenews.com/global-lion-dances/#:%7E:text=The%20lion%20dance%20we’re,dance%20to%20scare%20it%20away
SGHOKSAN. (n.d.). About Us. Singapore Hok San Association Official Blog Site. http://sghoksan.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html
Zaccheus, M. (2019, December 25). Secrets to oldest lion dance troupe’s success. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/secrets-to-oldest-lion-dance-troupes-success
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