Lion and dragon dances gather.

Audiences in Buon Ma Thuot recently enjoyed vibrant performances, imbued with a spirit of martial arts and rich national cultural identity, at the 1st National Lion and Dragon Dance Club Championship - 2025, hosted by Dak Lak province.

The first National Lion and Dragon Dance Club Championship is an official competition organized by the Vietnam Lion and Dragon Dance Federation in collaboration with other organizations, more than a year after its establishment. This aims to standardize the competition system and create a platform for exchange and competition among clubs. "With this first national-level tournament, the movement has been elevated to a new level: preserving cultural identity while affirming the sporting and martial arts value of the artistic lion and dragon dance," affirmed director and People's Artist Nguyen Trong Trinh, Vice President of the Vietnam Lion and Dragon Dance Federation.

Given its significant importance, renowned lion and dragon dance clubs from across the country seized the opportunity to interact and compete at this special event. Thirteen lion and dragon dance clubs from provinces in the Central, Northern, and Western regions, including Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh , Lam Dong, Dong Nai, Tien Giang, Tay Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, and host province Dak Lak, gathered in one arena where each team brought its own unique style and aspiration to affirm its martial arts identity through each dance.

Traditional lion dance performance by the Vuong Long Club of host province Dak Lak .

The clubs competed in the following categories: traditional lion dance; traditional dragon dance; plum blossom lion dance (male); plum blossom lion dance (male and female); speed dragon and speed lion; freestyle dragon and luminous lion. These were all challenging events, requiring seamless teamwork, fluid movements, strength, martial arts, and, of course, artistic flair.

The rhythmic beat of the drums and gongs alternates between rapid, urgent bursts and slow, perfectly synchronized movements, captivating the audience's attention.

The plum blossom pole dance is the highlight, attracting great audience attention, as it is considered the most difficult performance, requiring skill, masterful technique, strength, flexibility, and absolute precision when performing on a system of high poles. With thorough preparation and training, the athletes performed daring juggling movements, exciting the viewers and creating suspense as they watched the lions move on the high poles, sometimes gracefully and elegantly, other times powerfully and dynamically.

The fast-paced dragon dance also captivated the audience as they watched the dragons move and twist gracefully, sometimes leaping forward, sometimes retreating, and sometimes turning their entire bodies fluidly under the rhythmic control of the dancers. As for the luminous lion dance, it combined traditional elements with innovative forms and techniques, utilizing light and sound technology to delight viewers with its novelty and uniqueness.

Dragon dance performance by Long Nghia Duong Club (Thai Nguyen).

Within the framework of the competition, along with the aforementioned performances, the organizers featured the image of the Ly Dynasty dragon throughout the event. According to the organizers, the dragon is a sacred spiritual symbol, a source of pride for Vietnamese culture, deeply ingrained in the Vietnamese psyche. Unlike the majestic and powerful Chinese dragon, the Ly Dynasty dragon has a very unique appearance: a long, supple body, curving like clouds, a head held high, and instead of large, sharp scales, its body is covered with tiny scales, symbolizing gentleness, subtlety, and generosity, representing the peaceful, open, and prosperous spirit of the Vietnamese nation during its period of independence and self-reliance.

“Through this tournament and the art of dragon dance, we hope that the public will better understand that the dragon in the Vietnamese consciousness is not a distant or borrowed symbol, but rather the embodiment of wisdom, humanistic spirit, and national pride. The image of the dragon from the Ly Dynasty takes the audience back to the past, a journey back to the roots of our culture, so that we can all consciously preserve the unique cultural identity of our nation,” said Tran Hong Tien, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Lak province.

Dang Trieu

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202509/lan-su-rong-hoi-tu-8a220db/