7th Sabah International Folklore Festival 2012 : Schedule

Also known as Festival Kesenian Rakyat Antarabangsa Sabah, the seventh edition of this international event is currently ongoing. Scheduled to kick of on July 8, but as we drive through the main venue, Sabah Cultural Centre yesterday there was nothing much going on yet.


Hunting with blowpipe is one of the rituals during the local ethnic Murut traditional dance.


I wrote earlier on the competition schedule during theFestival 2012, highlighting the details of both local folkdance and international folkdance competitions. There will be 18 folk dance troupes from 18 countries showcasing their own unique folk dances and promoting understanding and goodwill through culture. They are from:

1. Brunei Darussalam
2. Czech Republic
3. East Timor
4. Finland
5. Latvia
6. Philippine
7. Poland
8. Thailand
9. South Korea
10. Sri Lanka
11. Kuwait
12. Egypt
13. Nigeria
14. China
15. Indonesia
16. Taiwan
17. Papua New Guinea
18. Kazakhstan

The following itinerary is the latest information gathered from the local daily, and are not stated initially in the brochure:

* Cultural Parade, Wisma Budaya to K.K. Community Hall, 10 July 2012

* Folk Art Exhibition, Ming Garden Hotel, 10 - 15 July 2012

* Sabah Traditional Food Fair, Sport Complex Penampang, 10 - 15 July 2012

* Local Folkdance competition, Sabah Cultural Centre Penampang, 11 - 12 July 2012

* Prime Show, Magellan Sutera Harbour, 13 July 2012

* International Folkdance Competition, Sabah Cultural Centre Penampang, 14 - 15 July 2012


KK City Folklore Parade (10 July 2012)

The cultural parade is jointly organised by Sabah Cultural Board (SCB) and Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK), and is to be flagged off at Wisma Budaya starting at 1.30pm by SCB Chairman, Datuk Wenses Anggang.

From Wisma Budaya, the parade will proceed to Lintasan Deasoka for 'pocket show' via Jalan Laiman Diki and Jalan Tugu, in front of City Hall. All the participating international troops and local cultural groups are expected to participate in the parade. Only the international troops will perform in Lintasan Deasoka though.

The parade will then proceed through Gaya Street and will end at Kota Kinabalu Community Centre. As such, roads mentioned above will be closed in stages to make way for the troops.

This is actually a very good opportunity for the public and especially photographers to make full coverage of the event. I've done one earlier this year during the Universiti Malaysia Sabah annual parade along the streets of Kota Kinabalu.

Lastly, tickets for the cultural shows are available at:
1. Wisma Budaya Building (088-268836)
2. Sabah Cultural Centre, Penampang (088-715464)

Sabah International Folklore Festival 2012

The Sabah International Folklore Festival (SIFF) is back again this year from July 8 - 17 and this time it is expected to feature 20 international cultural dance troupes.

This is the 7th edition of the SIFF and it is essentially a celebration of the world cultural diversity and a platform to promote peace through music and dance. The festival feature both international and local folk dances that highlight the incredible diversity of our world's culture.

The East-meets-West musical extravaganza

What    : 7th International Folklore Festival, 2012 (Festival Kesenian Rakyat Antarabangsa Ke-7, 2012)
When   : 8 - 17 July 2012
Where  : Sabah Cultural Centre, Penampang
Theme : "Peace Through Culture"


What's in store for you

LOCAL FOLKDANCE COMPETITION
Date/Time     : 11 & 12 July 2012/ 7.00pm
Place            : Sabah Cultural Centre, Penampang
Ticket price   : RM10 - Adult
                      RM5  - Children under 17 years old

INTERNATIONAL FOLKDANCE COMPETITION
Date/Time     : 14 & 15 July 2012/ 7.00pm
Place           :  Sabah Cultural Centre, Penampang
Ticket price   : RM50 - Premier class
                      RM30 - Adult
                      RM10 - Children under 17 years old

PRIME SHOW
Date/Time   :  13 July 2012/ 7.00pm
Place          :  Magellan Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu
Ticket price :  RM10,000 / table
                     RM5,000 / table
                     RM3,000 / table
                     RM1,000 / table

The 7th SIFF 2012 is not something for you to miss!

Tickets are available at:

Sabah Cultural Board              -   Tel: +6088-268836
Cultural Centre, Penampang    -   Tel: +6088-714464
More info                                -   www.sabah.gov.my/lks


TheGreenMechanics: 

We had similar cultural festival last year but due to the 'heat' of SARS then, we decided to give that one a miss. Hopefully we'll be able to make it this time around.

I've just got to love this. I like everything that's preserving the various heritages we have around the world. It's like living green and preserving mother nature!

JKKN Complex for Sabah Fest 2012

The colourful Sabah Festival 2012 is starting today and if you need to know in brief what is the story this year, The Adventures of Ngarayang synopsis would suffice it.

Some of the snapshots of the venue for this year's festival. The extravaganza is staged at the newly opened 600-capacity Auditorium at Kompleks JKKN Sabah , Mile 2, Jalan Penampang, Kota Kinabalu. It is located beside the jogging track at Ujana Rimba Tropika. The following picures were taken on May 3, 2012 morning.

JKKN Complex fronting the drain along Jalan Penampang

Main entrance

Admin & exhibition building - one of the traditionally crafted buildings at the complex.

Ticket prices: RM30 - RM50
Presentation starts at 8.30pm sharp daily for 3 days (3rd - 5th April 2012)
Free entrance: for visiting the exhibition & traditional showcase outside the auditorium.

Let's preserve the colourful cultures of Sabah's indigenous people. More pictures to come in the near future!

Sabah Fest 2012

.

Welcome to the colourful SABAH FEST 2012.

Image: Sabah Tourism

Sabah Fest is the largest cultural event among the many of Sabah's multicultural attractions and for the first time this year the event will be held at the newly-opened 600-capacity Auditorium, Kompleks JKKN Sabah , Mile 2, Jalan Penampang, Kota Kinabalu from 3rd - 5th May 2012.

What to expect

1) Cultural  extravaganza  which  will  take  place  outside  the  venue to offer visitors a  complete  cultural
    journey:
     a) Handicraft-making demonstrations by local experts
     b) Traditional music shows and dance performances
     c) Sampling of variety of traditional foods

2) The main highlight which will be the cultural performances, showcasing the Adventures of  
    Ngarayang, a dynamic, smooth-talking barter trader and his irresistible tales on the diverse
    West Coast ethnic groups he had encountered throughout his barter trade trips.


Storyline of the Adventure of Ngarayang

The story line is scripted in such a way to showcase the authentic, age-old dances, rituals and ceremonies of the Bonggi of Banggi Island, Dusun Kimaragang of Kota Marudu, the Lotud of Tuaran, the Bajau of Kota Belud, the Bruneian of Southwest Sabah, the Bisaya of Beaufort and the Dusun Tatana of Kuala Penyu.

A young adventurer named Ngarayang meaning ‘trader’ plied the west coast of Sabah bartering and distributing a variety of goods much sought after by the coastal communities. He was gifted with a charming look and a flair for story-telling. He captivated his audience wherever he went with wonderous stories of his travels and tales of cultures he encountered.

On one of his legendary journeys, the charms of a beautiful princess captured his heart, and while tales of mystical rituals, captivating dances and mesmerising music in a land of exotic people and cultures fascinated him, his heart yearned to see his princess again.

To find out what happened to Ngarayang in the end, come and find out for yourself.


Traditional dances and rituals

The followings are scheduled to be showcased beginning 8.30pm  by about 400 local performers from their respective areas, during the cultural extravaganza:

1) The Bonggi with their Adat Bebalang and Tabadak dances,
2) The Dusun Kimaragang with their Pinakang dance,
3) The Lotud donning the Sampangan cloth in their colourful and elaborate wedding ceremonies,
4) The Sama (Bajau) with their Runsai Cagayan,
5) The Dusun Menggatal Kuntau (martial arts),
6) The Brunei Zapin Jamilah,
7) The Bisaya Liliput dance and Bubu Mengalai ritual,
8) The Dusun Tatana Bakanjar (martial arts) integrated with the Moginum (drinking) ritual and dance called Sayau Loyop.

If you've noticed, these ethnic groups reside in the West Coast of Sabah.

Similar to the Sabah Fest 2011 at Sutera Magellan, there will be no entrance fee for visitors visiting the exhibitors booths. For the main show, tickets are priced at RM30 and RM50 per show. The building is said to be conforming to the green building guidelines, so, let's visit the new National Culture and Arts Department auditorium this May.