KUCHING: A mass folk dance display involving 645 participants from around Kuching, Bintulu, Lawas, Sibu, Miri, Sri Aman, Sabah, and as far as Johor Bahru and Kelantan was held at the Sarawak Hockey Stadium here last night (Aug 6).
The performance was held in conjunction with the ongoing Kuching Food Festival.
The contingents from outside Kuching practised virtually through videos and took three months of preparation prior to yesterday’s actual performance.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng said the folk dance performance brought the community together, fostering the spirit of camaraderie.
“Dance sessions held in communal spaces further nurtures this bond, as accessibility encourages widespread participation.
“As a community event, dance nurtures relationships not only among dancers but also between dancers and instructors,” he said when officiating at the event.
Persatuan Tarian Perdana Kuching (PTPK) representative Loh Yan Guek, who is in her 80s, said the majority of the folk dance participants were in their 60s.
“We practised by sending videos to the contingents who are outside Kuching and we practised for three months.
“This is the first time that we have actually performed the dance routine physically together as a team,” she told reporters.
The folk dance comprised 37 contingents of which 26 were from Kuching and 11 from other towns.
Among those present were MBKS Deputy Mayor Hilmy Othman, organising chairman of Kuching Festival 2023 committee Mok Chuang Ping and organising chairman of the mass folk dance display committee Judy Kho Poh Gek.
