MELAKA, Jan 29 (Sin Chew Daily) — A lion dance with a roaring tiger head to usher in the Year of the Tiger, that is a new lion dance presented by the Malaysia Gao Feng Lion & Dragon Dance Athletic Association.

The unprecedented performance with a tiger head and an 18-meter long body is offering good fortune by warding off the coronavirus.

The association’s founder and coach Yong Kheng Chien said the lion dance team decided to design a new performance in conjunction with the Year of the Tiger.

The team designed a new lion dance performance in June by incorporating the tiger.

It spent one month to design a five to seven-minute performance to display the big cat’s prowess.

For the past 12 years, the association has been designing lion dance performances based on the zodiac animals of Chinese New Year.

The lion dance performance based on the zodiac animals has since been gradually accepted by the people in China and Vietnam, Yong said.