Lion cats in Hop Tan: "Passing on" the love of heritage - Lang Son Newspaper and Radio and Television Station

Meritorious artist Nong Van Hien, member of the Lion and Cat Dance Club of Hop Tan village, teaches dance skills to students in the commune.

I had the opportunity to participate in a Lion and Cat Dance class at Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary and Secondary School, Gia Cat Commune at the end of January 2025. In the schoolyard, students were engrossed in learning each movement to the bustling sounds of drums, cymbals, and cymbals (instruments used in lion and cat dance performances). Ha Xuan Hiep, class 7A2, Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary and Secondary School said: I have learned the basics of lion and cat dance since grade 4. Now in grade 7, I continue to be guided by the men and women in the Lion and Cat Dance Club of Hop Tan village in many more dances such as: festival dance, bare-handed martial arts dance, single stick dance, trident dance... I was instructed very meticulously, from how to move my feet, swing my arms, to the meaning of the movements.

The above lion dance class is just one of many classes that members of the Hop Tan village lion dance club have organized.

It is known that the Hop Tan village lion dance team was established in 2005, and by 2023 the team had developed into the Lion Dance Club with 22 members aged 7 to 60. Mr. Nong Van Dai, Chairman of the Club, said: The club has a member, Meritorious Artist Nong Van Hien, with nearly 20 years of experience. He holds the techniques and unique characteristics of the traditional lion dance and how to use tools associated with production labor such as: tridents, sticks, knives... The artist not only wholeheartedly teaches the members of the Club but also teaches many students in other communes in the province.

Under the guidance of Meritorious Artist Nong Van Hien, the club members not only preserve the unique features of the dance but also actively teach it to the younger generation. In particular, since the end of 2024, club members have gone to schools in the commune to guide students to get acquainted with the lion-cat dance, thereby gradually forming a lion-cat dance movement in schools.

In addition to teaching dance, the Club also regularly participates in exchanges and performances at cultural events, festivals, competitions, lion dance and traditional martial arts performances organized by the district and province. Typically, the Club won third prize at the Lion Dance Competition of Tay and Nung ethnic groups in Lang Son province in 2022; won second prize and the thematic award for the youngest contestant at the 2nd Lion Dance Competition of Tay and Nung ethnic groups in Lang Son province in 2024...

In mid-April 2025, the Department of Physical Training and Sports , Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism selected the club as a research site. Mr. Tran Viet, International Martial Artist, Chief of Office of the Vietnam Traditional Martial Arts Federation said: Through the process of surveying and researching the cat lion martial arts of the Tay Nung ethnic group in Lang Son province, especially the survey at the Cat Lion Dance Club in Hop Tan village, I found that the cat lion dance and boxing have many unique and distinctive features. Therefore, we selected the Cat Lion Dance Club in Hop Tan village as a site to organize training, performance and develop documents on basic techniques, how to organize competitions in cat lion martial arts and boxing; organize training courses to improve professional skills, etc.

Meritorious artist Nong Van Hien, a member of the club, said: In the coming time, we will continue to train young, talented and dedicated members to become successors, continuing the teaching career. At the same time, we will continue to coordinate with local schools to establish and maintain lion and cat dance teams and groups.

With the enthusiasm of the Club members, we believe that the flame of lion and cat dance art in Hop Tan village will forever burn brightly, contributing to enriching the colorful cultural picture of Lang Son.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/cau-lac-bo-mua-su-tu-meo-thon-hop-tan-noi-tiep-lua-tinh-yeu-di-san-5044806.html