KUCHING: The Cultural Bureau of the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) Sibu branch is expected to organise a Betabuh (traditional music ensemble) and Ngajat Dance Competition among the SDNU Sibu branch unit and the Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak (SIDS) areas on May 9 at 6:30 pm.
The competition will be held at Permai Lake Garden Lakeside Foodcourt in Sibu, aiming to preserve the cultural heritage and traditions of the Dayak community through traditional musical instruments and dance.
It also aims to provide the SDNU Sibu members (both male and female) with the opportunity to perform tabuh music and ngajat through a competitive platform.
The Chairman of SDNU Sibu’s Cultural Bureau, Anyie Angking, stated that the most important aspect of the competition is its ability to strengthen bonds among members of various backgrounds and ages by empowering the talents and skills of the members in traditional music and ngajat dance.
The competition is aligned with the aspirations of the Sarawak Arts Council (MSS) in preserving cultural heritage while promoting traditional music and ngajat dance to the public and younger generation.
“The Betabuh and Ngajat dance competition is hoped to spark interest among youth and the public to learn and showcase their talents in arts and culture.
“With a competition like this, we can unearth talents in playing traditional musical instruments and ngajat dance, especially among young Dayaks, which will boost their confidence in performing during events such as the Gawai Dayak festival or other formal occasions,” he said.
The Betabuh competition is open to members of SDNU and SIDS Sibu who will represent their respective units or areas. Each unit may send between one and three groups of five members, including a ngajat dancer. Groups in the Betabuh category may be all-male, all-female, or mixed-gender.
The Ngajat Competition will be divided into male and female categories, and only a maximum of 20 groups based on early registration will be accepted.
Attractive and lucrative prizes are being awarded to the winners. All participants will receive certificates and a trophy with an additional RM800 cash for the champion, RM600 cash for the 1st runner-up, RM400 cash for the 2nd runner-up, and RM50 cash for five consolation prizes for the Betabuh competition.
For the Ngajat dance competition, RM300 cash will be given to the champion, RM250 for the 1st runner-up, RM200 for the 2nd runner-up, and RM50 each for five consolation prizes.
This competition is a chance for SDNU Sibu members to learn more about their culture and feel proud of their heritage, where the members are expected to take part, eager to show their skills in traditional music and ngajat dance.
The organizers also encourage the local community, especially the Dayak people in and around Sibu, to come out and support the event because “if not us, then who?”
