So Many Art Forms to Choose From

Due to the rich culture of Penang I decided to narrow my search to not only traditional dance and theatre, but also to the most promaint cultures of Penang. The first culture I looked at was the Chinese. The Chinese bring the traditional dance called the lion dance. This dance is sometimes mistakenly called the dragon dance because a dragon is used. However, there are far less dances in a lion dance (only 2) than there are for a dragon dance. This is dance is performed during the Chinese New Year and other religious festivals. This dance is handed down from generation to generation. Making the lion dance rich in generational heritage. 



The next traditional art form that I found was said to be brought by Muslim soilders to celebrate the Muslim Shiite festival. It is a form of theatre called Boria. Boris starts with a comedic sketch that is followed by song and dance. The type of Boria found in Penang is unqiue to its enriched culture and can not be found any place else. These festivals are well renewed and a lot of Malay traditional clothing is sold. There are also how-to and heritage seminars held during the Boria Festival.

Music in Penang is also as multicultural as it is traditional. The fact of the matter is when you go to Penang you will get a rich heritage from all the cultures that in habit the area. Penang is truly a melting pot. Attached is a youtube video of traditional Chinese music in Penang. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cakXIJARJxI