www.nst.com The  noise was earsplitting. Deafening drums, crashing cymbals and gongs echo through the streets as lion dancers writhed and pranced with feline grace.
Marching brass bands boomed while pretty girls flitted through ribbon-waving routines.

 The streets were thick with people who had come to experience the colour and energy of the annual Chingay parade in Johor Baru.

As the parade passed by, the distinct sounds of cymbals and brass instruments signalled the next act. All eyes were riveted on the undulating head movements of a celestial dragon. The head with eyes of flashing lights was followed by a 60ft body as it chased a big pearl through the streets.

Moving with the momentum of a tidal wave, the dancers lifted, dipped and swept the dragonأ¢â‚¬â„¢s head, weaving its luminous body all around. Everyone could see the dragon dance despite the huge crowd as its dancers stood tall on stilts! 

The art of stilt-walking started in China thousands of years ago when the people used stilts to help them gather fruit from tall trees. This developed into a kind of folk dance.

The art was said to have gained popularity in the State of Song in the seventh century, where a man named Lanzi entertained the first Song emperor by walking and running with his feet attached to two wooden poles that were taller than him.

Since then, the combination of stilts and acrobatics in street parades became a sophisticated form of entertainment in China. Even today, stilt-walkers are dressed in various costumes of legendary characters relating to popular folk tales. They act out the various heroic epics and deeds of various deities linked with religious festivals and temple celebrations.

Each Chinese New Year, devotees of the Johor Ancient Chinese Temple will honour the deities in a three-day religious ceremony that reflects the unity of the various Chinese dialect groups in the city.

One of the permanent attractions of the Chingay parade, held on the 21st day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar, is a twisting, rearing dragon mounted on stilts. Presented by KRT Taman Johor Hong Yang Sports Association, this is believed to be the first group to perform it in Johor Baru and the only group in Malaysia to do so on stilts.

The stilt-walkers have to undergo serious training to be able to perform this creative dragon dance. Martial arts exponents on stilts dressed in colourful costumes will also perform somersaults and cartwheels to heart-pounding music. Look out for this daring and delightful performance on stilts at JBأ¢â‚¬â„¢s annual Chingay parade on the evening of March 10 this year.

Several years ago, a few stilt-walkers started to train with Sifu John Ng of Singaporeأ¢â‚¬â„¢s Tian Loong Koong Stilt-Walking Group. They learned to perform stunts like striking an object with the stilts while diving through a ring of fire.

Back in Johor Baru, they formed a group to practise in the evenings. They also started to train students of all races, up to 50 at a time, including youths, girls and children as young as 10 years old.

When the group moved to Taman Johor in 2000, it was registered as KRT Taman Johor Hong Yang Sports Association. Today, students meet every Friday evening to train. Beginning with warm-up exercises at 8pm, they then practise walking on stilts. They put on their own stilts, stepping on wooden blocks as supports for the feet and strapping the wooden stilts securely to the legs at the knees and ankles.

Beginners train with 2ft high stilts and should demonstrate competence in balance, marching on the spot, walking a distance, perform a few supple steps and a أ¢â‚¬إ“safe fallأ¢â‚¬آ‌ before being allowed to use taller stilts.

Itأ¢â‚¬â„¢s clear that this is not a sport for the faint-hearted because competent stilt-walkers perform the dragon dance on 6ft-tall stilts, higher than the average Malaysian man!
أ¢â‚¬إ“Safety is a priority and there is no compromise,أ¢â‚¬آ‌ declares sifu Yeo Han Leong, 28. Students under his supervision must complete at least six months training before their talents are أ¢â‚¬إ“spottedأ¢â‚¬آ‌. After a year, they would be trained to perform stunts.

Yeo is among those who have successfully jumped through a ring of fire with the added challenge of aiming his stilts to accurately split a watermelon or an egg!
Besides stilt-walking and dragon dancing, the group also trains in the martial arts of wushu, lion dancing and balancing giant flags. Several members can even perform on 10ft high stilts but such special shows are strictly upon request.

KRT Taman Johor Hong Yang Sports Association has taken part in numerous events including the Johor Arts Festival 2006, the MBJB Street Carnival 2005 and the Singapore Chingay parade since 2002.

The group tries to outdo itself each time by performing different themes such as Underwater World and Dream Fantasy or as legendary characters like the Eight Immortals, Journey to the West, أ¢â‚¬ثœNa Jaأ¢â‚¬â„¢ and God of Wealth أ¢â‚¬â€œ dressed in detailed costumes, complete with make-up and face paint!