by Aida Aziz
IPOH: Perak’s traditional heritage, the Dabus Dance, needs to be promoted on both the local and international stage.
The Chairman of the State Tourism, Industry, Investment, and Development Corridor Committee, Loh Sze Yee said that unfortunately, many people are still unaware of the existence of this dance, which is unique to the country.
“One of Perak’s heritage that I am very proud of is the Dabus Dance.
“It needs to be expanded and promoted to the public; it is only found in Perak. If we take, for example, the promotion of Shadow Plays (Wayang Kulit), it exists in other states like Kelantan and Southern Thailand.
“As for Kuda Kepang (Woven Horse Dance), it is found in various regions and not just one state. The Dabus Dance is only found in Perak.
“What’s saddening is that some of our own people in Perak, or even among our own agencies, do not know about the existence of this dance,” he said.
He made these remarks while responding to a supplementary question from Member of the State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) Burhanuddin Ahmad (PN-Manong) during the 15th State Legislative Assembly (DUN) session held on Monday.
In the supplementary question, Burhanuddin asked whether there is specific funding for universities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to conduct research on heritage tourism in the state.
“Tourism nowadays is not like before; it requires storytelling, so I agree with that suggestion,” replied Sze Yee.
Meanwhile, further commenting on the Dabus Dance, Sze Yee mentioned that he had recommended to industry partners in the arts and tourism sectors to aggressively promote the dance on an international level.
“Not only for international tourism but also for domestic tourism because there may be people from Johor or Kedah who are not aware of the Dabus Dance.
“We are one of the states with the highest domestic tourists in Malaysia, so this heritage needs to be preserved and maintained,” he said.”
