SINGAPORE: More Singapore homes are ushering in the Chinese New Year with a roar.
The demand for lion dance performances has gone up by about 30 per cent, compared to the pre-pandemic years.
But with many lion dance troupes struggling to recruit new members, they have had to turn down nearly a fifth of booking enquiries this month.
He Xin Lion & Dragon Arts Troupe, for instance, has seen requests for its services rise by 30 per cent this year, compared to the same period before COVID-19 struck.
TURNING DOWN BOOKING ENQUIRIES
The troupe’s founder Bernard Tan, said customers “want to get back some of the Chinese New Year feeling” after the pandemic, with some engaging lion dance performances for the first time.
For the first day of Chinese New Year, the troupe could only fulfil a quarter of booking enquiries, he added. “Actually, there’s more, but we are unable to cope with the bookings because we don’t have enough manpower.”
Mr Tan has increased wages by nearly 30 per cent this year, just so his members can deliver the confirmed performances.
“We want to let our members know that we are trying hard,” he said. “We have to understand, because most of us have our full-time jobs.”
Even so, lion dance troupes have to work around tight budgets.
Mr Mervyn Neo, a coach at Times Cultural Arts, said its funds are largely for expenses such as props, attire, and rental space.
“Usually, we don’t really earn a lot from the whole Chinese New Year period,” he added.