Junior training program nurtures future lion dancers

Over 40 minors have completed MGM Macau’s first lion dancing training program. They received their certificates yesterday afternoon at the casino after almost two months of training.
The first-ever “Junior Lion Dance Training Program” aimed to strengthen the future of the Chinese traditional sport within Macau by equipping local children with fundamental techniques and skills needed for the highly athletic activity.
Every year since 2010, MGM Macau has hosted an annual lion dance championship, and this new youth training program was unveiled in June in tandem with this year’s tournament announcement.
“This is just a logical extension to build the capabilities of lion dance participants into the future, because we wish to participate and create a lion dance competition of Greater China. That means we’re going to have more talent and [we’ll need to] execute on that cultural and athletic activity,” said Mr Grant Bowie, head of MGM China Holdings Limited.
Mak Chi Leong, chairman at the Macau Hong Wai Sports and Recreations Association, and also one of the program instructors, said that the participants, aged between four and ten, learned how to communicate and cooperate with each other over the course of the curriculum.
However, as Leong revealed, the little trainees were occasionally uncooperative during the program, causing the instructors some headaches.
Parents of the graduates were also present at the graduation ceremony yesterday, which concluded with a collective performance by the kids.
Kit Mak, a six-and-half-year-­old trainee, thought it was fun all throughout the training. Her mother, who eagerly supported the program, hoped the  cultural activity could be passed from generation to generation.
Another parent praised the instructors’ patience towards the minors, and believed that such a program could help to instill discipline in the kids. Staff reporter