“They told me girls shouldn’t be involved in lion dance because it’s rough and you will get dirty. My teachers also told me I shouldn’t waste my time with this,” Tan, 32, said wryly. “Some of my friends called me a tomboy and rough.”

But it didn’t bother the second among four siblings. “My family supported me in this. And I love lion dance. So, I didn’t stop. Why should I?” said Tan.

Lion dance is still often tied to raw physical strength – lifting, balancing, and leaping under the weight of the lion head. For Tan, the challenge wasn’t just mastering those moves, but proving she belonged in a space that said she didn’t.

This International Dance Day, her story is a reminder that dance is about courage, identity, and the choice to keep going when others say you shouldn’t. Indeed, for over two decades, she has quietly challenged the norm, having performed across Malaysia and neighbouring countries.

And earlier this year, Tan made history in the Malaysia Book of Records as the country’s first female lion dance trainer – a milestone that speaks beyond personal achievement.

“I was so happy. The journey to get here wasn’t the easiest. This validated my achievements and growth. My family is also very proud of me,” Tan shared with FMT Lifestyle.

Her journey into lion dance has been rooted in family. Her father was a practitioner in his younger days but stopped after starting a family. Years later, it was her younger brother who drew her in, inviting her to join him for practice when she was 12.

“We saw a lion dance performance on the streets during a parade and my brother was hooked. And we didn’t have much to do in our hometown … we only played with marbles. So, when he asked, I went along for fun,” Tan fondly recalled.

What began as fun soon grew into passion. Tan found herself drawn to the training, the culture, the camaraderie, and the physical challenge. “The more challenging it got, the more pumped I was,” she said.

But lion dance demanded repetition, endurance, and the humility to fail. “You don’t just get it the first time,” she added. “You keep trying. When you finally can do it, you know you earned it.”

Over time, that persistence shaped more than her skill – it shaped her life. In 2019, she founded the Rantau Dragon & Lion Dance Association, creating a space not just to perform, but to teach and mentor the younger generation.

Today, nearly 80% of her 40 students are from the Indian community, ranging from six to 30 years old. For Tan, it’s about passing on the cultural heritage of the art form.

“If everyone says they are too busy, then who will teach the young people?” she quizzed. “Who will continue?”

It is not a rhetorical question. It is the reality she has chosen to respond to, year after year, through consistent work rather than grand statements. But it’s also more than that.

“It’s about building their character, how they focus, how they work with others. These are things they can use anywhere. It’s good that these young kids are involved in lion dance rather than other not so good activities,” said Tan.

To that end, Tan splits her time between Kuala Lumpur and Seremban, teaching across universities, an orphanage, and her own association, while juggling part-time and freelance work to get by.

Looking ahead, she hopes to open an academy where more people – especially girls – can train seriously and see a future in lion dance. “I want them to know they can do it too,” she stressed. “Not just follow, but lead.”

For Tan, it has never been about doing something extraordinary. “I just liked it. So I continued. Lion dance is part of my being now. I will never stop,” she concluded.

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