By OLIVIA MIWIL | news@nst.com.my
UNIQUE: Troupe in Sabah incorporates 'sumazau' and 'magunatip' dance moves in its performances
KOTA KINABALU: FOR three years now, a lion dance troupe here has been dazzling audiences, making some people literally stop in their tracks, with its unique performances.
At first, its routine appears like that of other lion dance troupes' but after a while, one will see that another cultural dance has been incorporated into its performances.
During special shows, the Penampang Youth Lion Dance Troupe will also perform Kadazandusun's sumazau and Murut's magunatip dances.
They will bring extra equipment, such as bamboo poles and the kulintangan (a set of small brass gongs) together with drums and cymbals for their shows.
They will start off with the usual gong beats and traditional lion dance moves, and then switch to either one of the other two popular cultural dance routines.
The magunatip, or Murut bamboo dance, is one of the most popular dances in Sabah.
Dancers need to be agile as they have to place their feet between clapping bamboo poles, without getting trapped.
There are two types of bamboo pole arrangement -- parallel and cross styles. For the sumazau, dancers will sway to rhythmic tunes, mimicking birds with wings.
The dancers and musicians in the troupe are largely Kadazandusuns from Penampang.
Founder and leader Boblitan Simon Tillon said since they began performing three years ago, the troupe had succeeded in making a name for itself.
"We are known for our unique performances and are heavily booked for special appearances."
Boblitan said the dance steps were easy to learn, but a lot of practice was needed to fine tune the performances.
"This is because the dancers are dancing with heavy lion dance costume. The magunatip is relatively easy for most of the dancers, but I will only assign experienced dancers for the sumazau as it will be performed on a single pole ladder with a height equivalent to a two-storey building.
"Two dancers will be on the pole and they will make a 360-degree turn while dancing."
Boblitan hoped the troupe would get more recognition and also gain experience to challenge other troupes in competitions.
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