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Sabah is a state of Malaysia that is located on the northern portion of Borneo. Sabah is famously known as the Land Below the Wind.

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The name for this dance is Sazau or Sumazau Papar. Both can be used to refer to this dance. This dance came from the KadazanDusun people. In kadazan's language, sazau means dance and sumazau is dancing.

This dance was created based on their old believe on animism as to please the spirits.

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Brunei Darussalam is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia.

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There are many types of dances that originated from Brunei Darussalam such as Anding, Alai Sekap, Tamarok, Jipin Tar, Umak Ruma and many others. However, the main focus of this column is Alai Sekap.

This folk dance came specifically from Kuala Balai. A mukim (subdivision of a district) in the west of Belait district in Brunei Darussalam. Following the terminology of Kuala Balai dialect, Alai means dance and Sekap means skillful.

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If someone from the tribal Village Chiefs families passes away, this dance is performed in front of the grieving family in order to entertain them and in front of the other tribesmen and tribeswomen.

Following the changes in modern time and for religious purposes, it is now perform at wedding receptions and at tourist attraction events.

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It is perform by three males dancers. Two of the male dancers will hold two wooden pole and a male dancer will perform a dance similar to Philippine's bamboo dance "Tinikling".

The difference is that Alai sekap follows the rhythm of drums and percussion which is "Sabih Gotu" while Tinikling follows the rhythm of stringed instruments.

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The original way of dancing it.

p.s. If the video won't open or play, I had put the link to the original video in the references below

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The second video is a bit different from the first one because this one potrays both male and female dancers. The number of dancers increased as well. It is performed by the dancers of Ministry of Youth and Sports (KKBS) for the Regatta Brunei Darussalam Reception Night 2012 event.

This is the link to the original video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5CnWCcO2V8

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The second country I would like to introduce its traditional dance is from Johor. Johor is the southernmost state of Peninsular (west) Malaysia that is along the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea and also winds around the Republic of Singapore's border.

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This state's dance is Kuda Kepand and there is a lot to talk about. So, lets start from the history of Kuda Kepang. It is named Kuda Kepang because "Kuda" means horse and "Kepang" means woven. There are a lot speculations on how this dance came to be:

1. In the 15th century, there live 9 famous guardian knows as "Wali Songo" that lived in the rural area of Java Land. They wanted to spread Islam there but had trouble getting close to the villagers. They came up with this dance in order to attract the villagers.

2. Someone witnessed Saidina Ali bin Abi Talib (r.a) fighting while riding a horse in war against the enemy. He was amazed by it and decided to set up a group of Kuda Kepang dancers in Java Land before this person went missing.

3. A heavenly horse with wings named "Sembrani" came to Java from the sky in search of its lost friend. Once they found each other, they were dancing in joy.

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In correlation with the many assumptions of its history, the number of its purpose is the same. The purposes are:

1. A medium to perform a ritual of worship
2. As a way to communicate with the dead
3. To cleanse oneself from evil spirit, diseases and calamity

This makes the dance surrounded by mystical elements, otherworldly presence and jinns. Keep in mind that the purposes stated above is old news.

Nowadays, Kuda Kepang is perform as entertainment at weddings, feasts and major celebrations in Johor such as the Sultan's birthday and to attract tourist.

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Kuda Kepang performers has their own group. There are different roles in the groups such as the leader (dalang/danyang), dancer, shaman, musician and bodyguards. The dancers are usually male but females can participate as well.

They will dance on an open field. Before they start, they have the shaman do some ritual and read some spells to ask the otherworldly spirits to let them dance there (buka gelanggang). If they don't do this, they believe that bad things will happen to everyone that are present at that time. The dances they do depends on the teacher that teaches them. The movements they did no matter what choreography are called "Lenggang Kiprah"

The dalang/danyang and other dancers of course have their own horses. The dalang/danyang carries a whip to lead the dances. Sometimes, the dancers will get into a drunken state which is called "naik sheikh" and do weird things such as peeling a coconut with their bare teeth, putting powder on their face, eating glass and etc. The drunken state means that they are possessed by the jinns. If they get too wild the shaman will order the bodyguards placed at each corner of the field to seize them so he could "cure" them. Cure in this context means that he will perform another ritual to get the spirits out of the dancer's body.

The musicians must continue playing the music without stopping unless the dalang/danyang closes the dance or the drunken dancers will get mad and attack them. Lastly, according to Dr. Samad Kechot, a senior lecturer at UKM said that it must not continue past 12am or the possessed one will kept on getting possessed and the spirits will take over the body.

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The clothing follow basic Javanese traditional wear. This include a headwear (ketopang/tanjak), pants and a side cloth.

The instrument are Java drum, Anklung, Kenong, Gong, Jidur, Bonang and Saron pekin

The horses are made from thin woods or woven with cowhides. They are painted with many colours to make it look pleasing to the eyes.

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More info regarding Kuda Kepang

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This first video is how they usually do the dance and also includes some of the dancers getting into the drunken state. The link to the original video is here since this is an edited version because the original video is 12min long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwqGp-cmf9I&feature=emb_logo

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This video is different because this is purely a performance. No ritual or worshipping included. Performed at Malaysia's Dance Festival 2017 by Taman Seni Budaya Group Johor

Here is the link to the original video as this is also an edited version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YRtxzcoNeE

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The people of KadazanDusun's believe that there are good spirits and bad spirits. Therefore, most of their purposes are related to pleasing the good spirits and avoiding the bad spirits such as:

1. To worships the good spirits such as "Bambarayon" for good harvest and good fortune all year long especially on Kaamatan which is the harvest festival
2. To avoid any unwanted accident or bad luck that is cause by the evil spirits such as "Ragon"
3. To cure diseases
4. To celebrate weddings, welcoming guest and attracting tourists.

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The movements follows that of a swallow by stretching out both arms to the side and bending it a little and moving it to the rhythm of the music. Feet movements are small and shape like a V. This is the basic way of dancing it.

It is performed by both male and female dancers and the number of dancers can be any amount as long as all of them are partnered up as boy and girl. The choreography of the dance is up to the teacher of the group.

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1. Female attire:
- Long sleeved black velvet blouse (siya) with some golden pattern
- White blouse underneath it to show the difference in the clothing
- Knee level sarong (gonob)
* Pattern called "Rinangkit" with the shaped of an explosive star sewed horizontally and vertically
- Headwear (siung) to show their marital status.
* Colourful bird feathers for single ladies
* Flowers for married women

2. Male attire
- Long sleeve black velvet shirt
- "Siga", the fabric they put over their neck and flows down to their waist
- Headwear

3. Accesories
- 3 types of coin shaped antic golden brooches
- Silver hip bracelet
- Coin shaped silver belt

4. Instrument
- Gong
- Flute
- Kulintangan

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The dances are performed by The Era Budaya Group Dancers

Here is the link to the original video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLskr9KEAqE

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More info regarding Sazau/Sumazau Papar

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Pandangan Dunia dan Konteks Upacara dalam Sumazau Penampang, Sazau Papar dan Sumazau Paina Membakut

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Terengganu is famous for its Ulek Mayang dance. Terengganu is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. There is a few location that is still active in doing this dance such as Kg. Pasir Panjang, Kuala Terengganu

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A group of fishermen went to the sea to fish. Out of the blue, they were hit with a very rough and very strong storm and it crashed their sampan (small wooden boat) into the shore of an Island. Thankfully, the fishermen gain consciousness one after another, except for their last friend. They can't understand as to why their friend was not waking up. He was breathing so he was not dead but he was staying still like he is dead. They started to think that maybe he is physically there but his soul is trapped somewhere else. So they managed to find a shaman to help bring their friend back. The shaman did his work and he confirmed that their friend was trap in the realm of the sea spirit. There are 7 sea spirit in that realm, all of them princesses of that realm and they are siblings. Now, there are 3 reasons speculated reasons as to why he was stuck there.

1. The second to youngest sisters was messing with him and they did not want to send him back to his own world, so each of them fought the fisherman until the eldest sister shows up
2. The playful spirits of the sea was trying to charm the fishermen but only one was seduced. He followed the spirits and wander in a daze into their realm. The shaman fought with 6 of the siblings until the eldest shows up
3. One of the sea spirits was in love with the fisherman and decided to keep him there. The shaman and the princess fought and as the princess was starting to lose, the other 5 siblings of the sea spirit joins in the fight and help one another. That however stops when the eldest shows up.

After all this reasons, it ends the same way. The eldest sister of 7 shows up and the shaman plead forgiveness and mercy to her and to please let the fisherman go. The eldest was the most beautiful and wise of them all so she simply said "I know all of your origins. Let those from the sea return to the sea and those from the land return to the land". The others confide and the fisherman is back safely.

After that, Ulek Mayang was created and it is usually perform at a beach shore.

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Ulek means calling back those who danced to Ulek Mayang to come back to the seven sea spirits and Mayang is taken from a plant named "Mayang Pinang" that is said to raise the "spirits" in ones body. The purpose of this dance is:

1. The lyrics of Ulek Mayang song is said to shoo away evil spirits.
2. To cure someone who is possessed and unconscious.
3. As a way to worship the seven princess of the sea.

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Following the story of its history, it would require 7 female dancers and 2 male dancers to portray the shaman and unconscious fishermen. The 7 princess would dance around the shaman who is using a Mayang Pinang that is covered with coconut oil to wave it around the other male dancer. While this is all happening, "kemenyan" would be lit and the smokes would just be there as its function is to lift the "spirits" in ones body.

However, this was before the Islamic influence. Now it is purely a form of entertainment. The original form of 7 female dancers and 2 male dancers is still used just without the "kemenyan", coconut oil and other stuff that would make it seem like they were doing a ritual of worship. The number of male dancers may also increase as it is now modernized to fit our religious belief.

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1. Clothing
- It seems to be just a headdress and a yellow sash. The other is optional such as the colours of the dress or making the dancer that portrays the eldest sister to be wearing a different coloured dress but still having the yellow sash.

2. Instrument
- Drums, gongs, violin and accordions
- Accompanied together with a song which is also called Ulek Mayang

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I have edited the sounds of this video.
Here is the link to the orignal video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRRabSi1ErU

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This video is just a performance that has no elements of worshipping as it is only a form of entertainment.

Here is the link to the original video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZzWbLv8qzM

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There is a dance by the tribe of Temuan People which is a subtribe of the Pos Betau Village, Kuala Lipis, Pahang.

Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia

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For this dance, there is not much to talk about. It is the actually the dance of the Indigenous People of Miri, Sarawak. However, the Temuan Tribe is also parts of the same culture. Why does it said that this dance was from Pahang instead of Sarawak. Well, this dance was said to come from the Temuan People which is a subtribe of Pos Betau Village which is in Pahang.

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The is a number of purpose for this dance:

1. Heal a person from diseases
2. Drive evil spirits away
3. Controlling delicate creatures
4. Opening the taboo of death
5. To welcome guests and wedding event

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This dance is performed by 18 male and female dancers or more which will follow he lead of a lead male singer. The dancers will repeat the lines of his singing and dance around the floor.

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The clothing follow traditional clothing of the indigenous people.

The dance will be accompanied by bamboo music called "Bamboo Cetong" stamped on wood grilled.

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This first video is peformed by the tribe of Temuan People themselves at Kota Warisan

Here is the link to the original video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8k1ot2d2dY

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This is a performance video performed at PST JKKN 2016.

Here is the link to the original video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCXNtZcE11E