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The Guardian

Indonesia's dragon dance club beats the drum for the lunar new year

Members of dragon dance club Naga Merah Putih (Red White Dragon), named after the Indonesian national colours, practise as residents watch Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP The troupe – which can number anywhere from 50 to 100 people depending on how in-demand shows are – practise in the abandoned back area of a small storefront selling coffee and snacks. Women and children from around the area stop by to sit and watch. During slower weeks puppet heads sit unused on a storage shelf Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP Mumammad Fadil, top, and Muhammad Ilman, bottom, train ahead of a performance Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP Members of the dance club take a break after a training session. Fireworks, parades and other lunar new year rituals are centred around removing bad luck and welcoming prosperity Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP Club members Muhammad Hisyam, left, and Aji Permana Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP A member of the club holds the head of a dragon puppet Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP Members of the dance club among the dragon and lion puppets Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP Members of the club in acrobatic rehearsals Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP Dance club members carry a dragon puppet on to a truck to perform in a lunar new year celebration at a shopping mall Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP The troupe and their puppets in the back of a small truck on the way to a shopping mall for a performance. Those who couldn't fit into the truck follow on motorbikes Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP In the shopping mall, hundreds of visitors gather to watch the troupe perform. Rounds of applause greet the dance Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP A woman and her daughter have their photo taken with members of the dragon dance club in lion costume after the performance Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP People give 'angpau', an envelope containing money traditionally given during Chinese holidays or for special occasions, to members of the club after the performance Photograph: Dita Alangkara/AP