Abstract
This chapter focuses on the dragon dance, one of the performing art forms that is regularly presented at festivals and celebrations in Malaysia. The dragon dance emerged during the Han Dynasty in China and was performed to bring rain to farming communities and to protect the Chinese people from harm and illness. The dragon dance is imperative in Chinese folk religion in Malaysia as the Chinese dragon is considered to be an important mythical symbol of strength, auspiciousness, good fortune and heavenly protection. The chapter then looks at the symbolism of the dragon in Chinese culture, the basic form, and the innovations that have occurred in Malaysia, showing that the dragon dance represents the continuity and localization of Chinese culture and identity. It also argues that Malaysian dragon dance performers are staging the spirit of unity and community in response to fears of cultural assimilation, in the course of performance and training, they negotiate hegemonic national narratives that affect them.
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