Malaysia Info Guide
for Locals & Visitors

In Sarawak, the women take over the drums in a stylish presentation of traditional music.

Bergendang or drumming is a musical performance that accompanies major festivals and occasions.

Seated behind a screen, the women drum out their beats with style, tone and rhythm as an accompaniment to songs sung by young maidens while the men dance.

The Sumazau is the national dance of the Kadazandusuns of Sabah.

In this dance, rows of male and female dancers face each other and with out-stretched arms depict the flight of birds to the rhythm of six gongs.

Bhangra is a dance in anticipation and celebration of a good harvest and has its roots in Punjab India. The dance is very much a vibrant feature of the Sikh community in Malaysia.

The exciting and colourful Bhangra dance is an integral centre stage activity for festival and celebrations in the Sikh community. Every gesture in the dance conveys a special meaning utilising a host of intricate exuberant artistic movements. The dancers, both boys and girls, are usually dressed in resplendent and bright costumes.

A lot of emphasis is based on the skillful dexterity and versatility of the dancers. Another hallmark is the incorporation of a host of stunts bordering on artistic agility and physical ingenuity.

The song used for the dance are a medley of rich folk songs backed by traditional instruments like the tholl (drum), harmonica, tambourine and musical clapper. The popularity of Bhangra in Malaysia is such that it is performed even at weddings, birthdays and other family celebrations.

Classical Indian dances are traditionally performed in temples because these dances are regarded as an offering to the Hindu deities.

One such temple dance is the Bharata Natyam which originated in South India in the third century.

Bharata Natyam involves six stages in the performance which combine the elements of Nritta (pure dance) and Nritya (expressive dance). Nritta comprises basic dance units called Adavus.

Each Adavu contains three elements - the standing position, the movement of legs and feel and the hand gestures.Music is based on ragas (tunes).

Bharata Natyam

Classical dance in India differentiates itself from traditional Indian folk dances in that it is sanctioned by the extensive dance manual, the Natya Shashtra (a Sanskrit treatise written by the sage Bharata between the third and sixth century A.D.)

The Tarian Lilin or candle dance is a graceful maiden's dance. It has its origin in the story of a maiden who lost her engagement ring and searched for it till the wee hours of the morning with the help of a candle placed on a plate.

The candle dance is one of Malaysia's most breathtakingly beautiful performance arts.

Candles on small plates are held in each hand as the dancer performs. As the performer's body describes graceful curves and arcs, the delicate candle flames become hypnotic traces.

The Lion Dance is part of the cultural heritage of the Chinese. It was brought from mainland China and is still very popular among the Chinese community.

In the lion dance, the head of the lion is made from paper and cloth. A performer would wear the lion mask-head and another would act as the body of the lion.

The performer wearing the mask-head of the lion plays a more important role than the one handling the body of the lion because the former is the one who determines the dance movement while the other simply imitates him. The lion dancers must follow the antics of two clowns who act as jokers against the lion. A team of drummers would beat the big and small drums in order to heighten the spirit during the lion dance.

According to Chinese belief, the lion dance is performed during Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Mei celebration, and the Moon and other festivals in order to gain benevolence and blessings from their gods. Many lion dance teams would visit Chinese houses to perform the dance in order to collect gifts from the owners. Usually the owner would tie a piece of vegetable with money wrapped in red paper to a pole. The pole is put at the door or the window of the house. The lion dancers would then try to get the money through the mouth of the lion.