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Traditional dance is an art that can attract a big crowd. Sabah has its fair share of traditional dances which includes ritual dances as well as modern ones. Like other states, Sabah is rich in traditional dances.

Among the most popular and well-known traditional dances are the sumazau, limbai, sumayau, magunatip, adai-adai and daling-daling.

Source :

1. Dewan Budaya, Disember 1980, page 36-38
2. Pesta Ka'amatan `89 Peringkat Negeri, 31hb Mei, 1989 di`Hongkod Koisaan', Penampang. Petaling Jaya . Web Printers Sdn. Bhd.. 1989.. Petaling Jaya . Web Printers Sdn. Bhd.. 1989.. Petaling Jaya . Web Printers Sdn. Bhd.. 1989.
3. Asmad. Kesenian Tari. Melaka : Associated Educational Dist., 1990.
4. Kusardy, P.M. Persembahan kebudayaan negeri Sabah : sempena lawatan Tuan Yang Terutama Yang DiPertua Negeri Sarawak, Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Mohammad Salahuddin dan Yang Amat Berbahagia Toh Puan Datin Patinggi Dayang Hajjah Umi Kalthum ke sabah di Istana Kota Kinabalu, 24hb Disember, 1980. Kota Kinabalu cetakan : Jabatan Cetak Kerajaan Sabah 1981.
5. Majlis Santapan Malam Negeri Sempena Perayaan Hari Kebangsaan 1996. Pencetak Kerajaan Sabah. 1996
   . Pencetak Kerajaan Sabah. 1996
   . Pencetak Kerajaan Sabah. 1996

SUMAZAU DANCE

This type of dance is one of the most well known traditional dances in Sabah as well as throughout Malaysia. It belongs to the Kadazandusun tribe. This ritual dance serves varied functions such as thanksgiving for bountiful paddy planting and harvesting, prayer against evil spirits, honouring the spirits as well as to cure illness. The movement and rhythm of this dance is elegantly soft and slow. The dancers, male and female, will face each other, move their feets in small movements and move their heels up and down to the beat of the music. While dancing the dancer will spread up their hands and move it up and down just like a bird spreading their wings to fly. The Sumazau is usually performed during festive occasions and gatherings.

LIMBAI DANCE

This is an original traditional dance of the Bajau. The Limbai dance is performed during a wedding ceremony. It is an act of welcoming the bridegroom and his entourage and to invite them to the bride’s house. The melody and rhythmic movements of the dancer will accompany the bridegroom to the bride's house and would preceed the "ijab-qabul" or wedding ceremony. The graceful movement of the dancers’ wrists will sway their shawls to express their warm welcome to the party concerned.

SUMAYAU DANCE

This is the traditional dance of the Dusun Lotud ethnic group from the Tuaran district where it is also known as "Madsayau". The Sumayau is the main element of a special chanting ceremony or "Mengahau" as it is called in Dusun. It is not performed in ordinary celebrations. A "Monolian", an elderly female priestess who is also a ritual specialist, would lead the dance ceremony. It is a rule of the tradition that this role is held only by the descendents of the previous "Monolian".

"Mengahau" is a big affair and is usually celebrated for 5 days and nights. The purpose of this ceremony is to venerate the "gusi-gusi" (a type of antique jars believed to possess spirits) by chanting ancient ritual verses. It is also conducted to honour dead family members, similar to the "kenduri arwah" (feast for the departed) commonly observed by the Muslim Malay community.

As soon as the music starts, the dancers would sway towards the dance floor. Every movement of the hands would be in harmony with the rhythm of the music. However the movement of the feet are slower as compared to the hands. One simply walks with very small steps in an unhurried manner. The pace of the dance increase with applause from the audience.

MAGUNATIP DANCE

This dance belongs to the Murut’s tribe of Kuhijaw (Kwijau). The "Magunatip" word is derived from the "apit" word, which means "trapped". In this dance one must master and show their agility and dexterity in jumping and putting their feet between the clapping bamboos without being trapped. This dance does not usually require any instrumental music because the rhythmic clapping and stamping of the bamboos produce a loud, harmonised, beat and interesting sound or rhythm. This dance is usually performed to highlight any festive occasion.

ADAI-ADAI DANCE

Initially "adai-adai’ was a song sung as a "pantun" or a quatrain by a group of people. Instead of having an ordinary musical instrument to accompany the song, a natural sound or beat is formed from paddling a boat or stamping the paddle against the side of the boat and striking a "buyong" or "keduit" (a jar made from gourd or clay). This dance belongs to the Brunei tribe in Weston, Sabah.

DALING-DALING DANCE

This traditional dance was brought over from the Mindanao archipelago by the Suluks and does not originate from Bajau tribe in the Semporna district. The intermingling relationship between the Bajau and Suluk in those early days resulted in the dance becoming a living heritage of the Bajau community residing in Semporna. The phrase "daling daling" actually originated from the English word "darling". The main characteristic of the dance is the interchange of quatrains between the male and female dancers and is usually performed as an entertainment in various occasions.

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