Sumazau is a traditional folk dance that is popular in

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

and throughout

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It is a traditional dance of the Kadazan Dusun. It is often performed during the harvest festival celebration every May. Sumazau is performed in traditional black and red clothing. It is played to the accompaniment of

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

s; usually six gongs of various sizes, and a drum with a unique rhythm. The duration and rhythm of Sumazau varies by region and country. This is a dance inspired by

s flying patterns witnessed by farmers resting in the fields during the harvest season. During the dance, each dancer must make a sequence of moves only a few centimeters away from each other without touching.

References

{{Reflist Dances of Malaysia