"In a car park near Canley Vale station, tucked between grocery stores and apartment blocks, lies another lion’s den. Yun Yee Tong Dragon & Lion Dance (YYT) train here, out in the open, where their environment becomes both audience and stage.
During the training I attended the asphalt hummed beneath the heat of the day, and the air carried a rhythm — steady, ancient, alive. Children’s laughter spilled from the balconies above, mingling with the sharp crack of drums and the shuffle of sneakers on pavement.
Pedestrians paused and their encouragements echoed down the street as the dancers weaved through the shops. Under the roaring sun they lifted each other up, lap after lap. A young baby on the street ran towards the sights of the dancers training, his dad not far behind.
What I thought was reserved for festivals — the cheers, the energy, the sense of community — was here too, as much a part of the dance as the lion’s tail or the drummer’s sticks. This practice became a conversation; between the head and the tail; between the team and the community; between the past and the present.
Each step, each beat, each person, were a reminder that the story of lion dancing is alive, growing, and roaring still. It’s YYT that birthed a new generation of lion dancing teams, where tradition finds new breath: Jing Yee and Qing Fong’s roots are tangled in this car park."
PhotographerClinton Ngo Nguyen Geolocation[1] NotesThese photographs are part of the 2024 City Photographer project.
Details
Image ColourBlack & WhiteTypeDigitalCopyrightPartial restriction. Please contact Fairfield City Heritage Services for image use.AcknowledgementClinton Ngo Nguyen 2024 Fairfield City Photographer. Image courtesy of Fairfield City Heritage Collection.
