Lion Dance Competition, Kaohsiung Arena, Taiwan

Malaysia got cut off (on the left!); Sorry Malaysia! <3

As the Lion Dance Competition 2014 approaches in December, I thought I would post some of our photos from last year's event.  This is one of the few international competitions that Kaohsiung hosts, and it is pretty intense.  When we arrived, despite having bought tickets, we were not guaranteed a seat, and the very large auditorium (Kaohsiung Arena or 巨蛋) was already filled to capacity with people sitting on the stairs.

Off the bat, I must admit that I was pretty put off- if I pay for a ticket a month in advance (or more!), I expect to have a seat... and it was really dangerous to have people climbing over each other on the stairs and in the aisles.  All I could think about was the immense fire hazard of it all, and that made it a pretty weird experience.  Along with the masses of people was constant noisy chatter of spectators, including children, who made very little, if any attempt to keep their voices down.  The MC for the event wasn't much better, running his mouth the entire time and making jokes that only he was laughing at... it was so invasive, that a group of performers nearly fell off of their poles after a particularly loud interjection.  After that, the other staff had to tell him to shut up (though it did very little to dissuade him)!

The competition itself is really interesting and entertaining; teams from all over Asia participate every year from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, plus the top ranking teams from Taiwan.  The teams compete in a variety of categories including technical skill, facial expression (and Malaysia is famous for it's puppy-lion so if you go, keep an eye out for their more emote lion), and creativity.  Each team spends time up on the poles doing jumps, lifts, and other choreographed moves, and while trying to make it look amazing and effortless, they are also trying not to fall off the tiny poles and tumble into the padding about 6-8 feet below.  Make no mistake- this sport looks super cute (if you're Malaysia), but it's actually really hardcore and requires painstaking hours of practice plus maybe an iron will.

Getting there:  
If you're considering a trip to the Lion Dance Competition this year, you can buy your tickets via iBon at any 7-11 store island wide.  I would recommend seeing it once, but because the event is 3-4  hours long, be prepared for a long performance and know you may not end up staying for the whole thing (also bring water and snacks!).  Many people usually only stay for the first half, and you'll likely notice an exodus somewhere through the middle if you do decide to stay.