Certificate ceremony of Lion and Dragon Dance training held

Bangladesh Lion and Dragon Dance Sports Association (Blddsa) along with China Embassy in Bangladesh and Bangladesh-China Chamber jointly organised a lion and dragon dance training camp in Dhaka to promote this practice of the Chinese cultural performance art.

Upon successful completion of the training camp, 50 participants were handed their certificates on Thursday, reads a press release of Bangladesh-China Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Joined via zoom, Yue Liwen, Cultural Counsellor of the China embassy in Bangladesh, congratulated all who had successfully completed the training program.

"The lion dance is an auspicious being, the dance was developed by observing the movement of the lion and it is full of history and tradition," he said.

Yue Liwen expressed his interest in promoting cooperation from the Chinese embassy in order to ensure the smooth running of the association.

Shahjahan Mridha Benu, general secretary of the association, spoke of using culture to build bridges among people of different cultures. 

 The lion and dragon dance is a popular performance art all over the world and performed at celebratory events, he added.

As Bengali triumph is often associated with the royal Bengal tiger, Shahjahan Mridha has high hopes in developing the tiger dance as a new tradition in the practice of the lion and dragon dance.

Blddsa joint secretary Al Mamun Mridha said as Bangladesh can adapt and learn quickly, so patronage from the Chinese embassy will help the association to take it to a global level.

He went on to introduce a new young team of lion dance performers to take the stage with their performance.

Coordinator Anwarul Rasel, the national coach of Bangladesh Wushu and Lion Dance, said the team consists of highly talented individuals who placed in international tournaments after only one month of training in China.

After the pandemic, the association needs the support of the government and the Chinese embassy in order to provide the necessary resources for further training and development of the sports in Bangladesh, he added.

The program was brought to an end following a display of the lion dance and Wushu martial arts by the participants of the training camp.