PETALING JAYA: She grew up in Kampung Melayu Subang with mostly Malay neighbours, but somehow Siti Nur Aishah Mohd Shukri picked up an interest in lion dance.
Captivated by the energetic moves, the sounds of the instruments and the vibrant colours, Siti Nur Aishah, 20, was determined to join a troupe.
When she turned 13, Siti Nur Aishah got her parent’s approval to sign up at a lion dance club which was a five-minute walk from her home and became the sole Malay girl performer there.
“I wanted to try lion dance because it was a mixture of dance and martial arts. My father was supportive because his friend owned a lion dance club too.”
Her mother, she said, had some reservations but she merely advised her to take care of herself and to uphold her religious beliefs.Since then, Siti Nur Aishah has continued performing with her peers during Chinese New Year festivities and other events.
In the early days, she found it difficult to understand her coach’s instructions. So she began learning Mandarin through YouTube videos and practised the phrases she picked up from her friends at the lion dance club.
“My coach and friends were welcoming of me. They made an effort to speak more Malay phrases so that I could understand what was going on, but I also wanted to show that I could learn fast.
“It is easier for me to understand what the coach is saying rather than waiting for them to translate,” she added.
Now, she said she can understand many Mandarin terms.
Despite being busy these days with her 2D animation studies at a college in Selangor, Siti Nur Aishah takes every opportunity to train and perform.
During the festive season, the troupe would be out performing between 6am until midnight. Siti Nur Aishah even had to stay up past 2am due to their busy schedule.
“My lecturers have been supportive. I usually inform them in advance about my night practices, and during Chinese New Year, I excuse myself from classes.
“But of course, I make sure to complete all my assignments.”
For the past seven years, Siti Nur Aishah has been an active member of the troupe, preferring to play the cymbals and gong.
“I have practised both the instruments and the lion dance, but for now, I am more interested in the musical aspect because it is crucial to the performance,” she said.
Recently, Siti Nur Aishah joined a team from Sabah called the Leong Sin Sandakan Sport Club and participated in the 2025 Malaysia Lion Dance Championship, securing a top five spot in both the local and international categories representing Sabah.
This achievement reaffirmed what Aishah has always believed in – that cultural performances are for all Malaysians to appreciate, regardless of background.
She likened lion dance to the traditional Malay dance tarian zapin, which is well known among locals.
“If people can try out tarian zapin, then there should be no issue with people like me trying lion dance.
“The most important thing is to have respect for one another, and I have received that from my coach and peers. Through my experience, I have gained a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and lion dance,” she added.
Siti Nur Aishah is no longer the only Malay performer at her lion dance club. There are now 32 participants, including five girls. One of them is her younger sister Nurul Ashikin, 13, who joined last year.
She said the troupe also recruited a few Sabahan performers, bringing the total number of non-Chinese members to six.
Her advice to those interested in lion dance is to give it a try before making assumptions.
“If more people are open to learning about each other’s cultures without judgement, it would be easier for us to understand one another,” she said.
