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- Enchanting bagpipes by Auli (Latvia) to end the first night of RWMF. The musicfest ends tonight.
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- Krar Collective performer playing the East African lyre.
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- Oisin Mac Diarmada from Teada (Ireland).
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- RWMF audience clapping and dancing the night away near the mystical Mt Santubong.
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- Performers from Unique Art Academy (Negeri Sembilan) dancing and playing instruments at the same time.
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- Sape Sarawak is a 17-strong sape ensemble in Friday night’s line-up.
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- The first night of RWMF 2016 started with a miring ceremony. — Photos by Muhammad Rais Sanusi & Patricia Hului
KUCHING: The 19th Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) opened with a ‘bang’ yesterday as a cosmopolitan crowd danced the night away to enchanting music in the mystical forest of Mount Santubong.
There were seven musical groups rocking the jungle and tree stages of Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) including Sape Sarawak, Naygayiw Gigi Dance Troupe (Australia), Unique Art Academy (Negeri Sembilan), Teada (Ireland), Dol Arastra Bengkulu (Indonesia), Krar Collective (Ethiopia) and Auli (Latvia).
The audience was treated to different types of dance throughout the night.
Naygayiw Gigi Dance Troupe of Australia showcased its traditional dance from Bamaga and Siesiasaibailgal cultures. They share the same Melanesian culture with the people of Papua New Guinea though they are from the Australian continent.
Their dance told traditional and contemporary stories, customs and daily life through movement, song and props.
Meanwhile, Malaysian performers Unique Art Academy (NS) gave the audience a taste of entrancing dance from the villages of Tamil Nadu in South India.
The speciality of these dancers is that they play their own drums while moving to the rhythm.
A traditional Irish band Teada brought the house down with their instruments of fiddle, button accordion, flutes, guitar and bodhran (Irish frame drum).
Their tunes led the audience into step-dancing which was taught to participants during the daytime workshops.
It was a sight to remember seeing foreign tourists and locals alike dancing the Irish jig in the native land of Borneo.
Teada’s bodhran player Tristan Rosenstock pointed out that this year, Ireland is celebrating their 100th year celebration. Hence paying tribute to that, the band performed the song ‘Freedom’ for Ireland.
Dol Arastra Bengkulu from West Coast of Sumatera Indonesia was the one who delivered the beat to remember for the night, playing percussions of different sizes, ranging from 70 to 100cm non-stop drumming to wow the audience with their boundless energy.
The group drew their musical influence from ‘percusi dol’ which is part of Tabot, an ancient ritual of Muslim society at Bengkulu city.
The night closed with the sound of bagpipes and drums from the group ‘Auli’. According to the Latvia group, the tradition of playing bagpipes and drums was sparse in their country but the instruments were oft-mentioned in Latvian folklore.
Their show proved that bagpipes are not only meant for marching bands but could be definitely entertaining and enchanting.
Auli, a 10-member group, wrapped up the night with folklore and medieval music from all over Europe.
RWMF has been voted as one of the top 25 World Music Festivals by Songlines Magazine for the sixth year in a row.
The three-day musicfest – which ends tonight – is supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MTAC) and endorsed by Tourism Malaysia with Malaysia Airlines Berhad as the presenting sponsor.