Story: Malaysians and Singaporeans

A lion dance (1st of 2)

A lion dance

Hua Khoo, a Chinese Malaysian, came to New Zealand in the late 1970s and became a secondary school science teacher. He learned about the lion dance, a traditional Chinese art form, in New Zealand and is now passing on the tradition to his son and friends. Their troupe performed at the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival in Auckland in March 2007. The dance, which chases away evil spirits, mimics a lion’s movements and is usually performed by two dancers dressed in a lion costume, accompanied by musicians playing drums, cymbals and gongs. 

Using this item

New Zealand Herald
Reference: AUC-1001087
Photograph by Sylvie Whinray

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Malaysians and Singaporeans - Malaysian culture', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/46717/a-lion-dance (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 8 Feb 2005, reviewed & revised 1 Oct 2015