KUCHING: Coco Cabana in Miri will host a performance of the traditional dance, Alai Mullah Haddih, by the Jatti Miriek community on July 1.
Organised by Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) in collaboration with MY Living Arts (MYYLA), the two-hour presentation will take place at 2pm.
This performance is part of the Music in Tradition series, which aims to showcase the diverse traditional music and dance forms of Sarawak’s ethnic communities, with a focus on those from Miri and its surrounding areas.
The event aims to honour and highlight artists who preserve and present their cultural heritage in its original or modernised form.
The organising committee, in partnership with the Jattie Miriek Association in Miri, aims to introduce the lesser-known Alai Mullah Haddih dance to the public.
The history of this dance is deeply rooted in the lives of the Jatti Miriek community, depicting their traditional way of life. The dance highlights the significance of kerja kaum in the cultivation of staple food items, particularly rice. It showcases the various stages of rice production, from planting to pounding and winnowing.
The dance symbolises the strong spirit of collaboration and support among the Jatti Miriek people, strengthening their traditional economic activities. Typically performed by four to six dancers, it tells the story of rice production processes to the audience.
The dance reenacts the stages of harvesting, including plowing (nugel), planting (gutam), threshing (muau), grinding, pounding (tupah), and winnowing (nafan).
Through Alai Mullah Haddih, the Jatti Miriek people showcase the values of communal and mutual cooperation that form the foundation of their social life. Accompanied by the melodious sounds of traditional musical instruments such as gongs, drums, and the Letangan Ajuh, an instrument made of wood, the dance is often performed as a celebration of gratitude at the end of the harvesting season.
The programme is open to the public, with free admission, offering the audience an opportunity to engage with the artists and performers.
