We are all used to the traditional lion dance; two men in a lion suit dancing around to the beat of drums and cymbals. But have you seen it Sabah-style? Well, the people at the Lion, Dragon And Unicorn Dance Festival in Kota Kinabalu have!
The Penampang Youth Lion Dance Club troupe put on a show that combined the traditional music of Sabah, and incorporated it with some traditional dance elements.
Since it’s the Year of the Monkey, the skit involved a lion, a man dressed in traditional Kadazandusun attire and a Proboscis monkey doll. The lion danced around, trying to catch the monkey and place him on coconut trees, while the man teases the lion by hiding the monkey.
We also get to see the lion doing a traditional Murut dance, the Magunatip, a very tricky dance where you hop in and out of bamboo poles. It’s difficult enough for one person, imagine two people in a conjoined costume trying to do it!
You can watch the video here, and let us know what you think.
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