| Description |
The origin of the Balai or Ulai Dance is unclear. However, it is believed that it has settled in Terengganu about 300 years ago. The existence of this dance in the Bukit Gemuruh Village in Hulu Terengganu revolves around the story of a couple who were farmers namely Tok Jambul and his wife Tok Senik with their child. Whenever To Senik lullabied her child there was an invisible voice as if reciprocating her quatrain. The voice invariably reciprocated Tok Senik’s quatrain when she continued quatraining while working in the paddy field. One day Tok Jambul dreamt meeting a man that told him that a genie wanted to jolly with Tok Jambul’s wife. The man directed Tok Jambul to plant upright a number of the pulai tree trunk and to sprinkle chanted flour around the tree using banana leaf, as well as reciting mantras. Eventually his paddy grew as well as fertile and the invisible voice was nowhere. Originally this dance is related to appeasing the spirit of paddy and performed by young maiden of the Bukit Gemuruh Village. The dance is accompanied by songs portraying the farmers’ happiness after obtaining the produce. The dance movements picture the farmers doing paddy field works. Colourful umbrellas that signify the spirit of paddy are placed in the middle of the stage and the dancers dance encircling the umbrellas. Paddy planting equipment like hoe, paddy harvester, and the farmers’ hats are turned into props. |
