ABSTRACT
The Malaysian musical traditions that accompany dance or dance drama without dialogue and singing exist as classical music or folk music. Two forms of music and dance considered to be classical art traditions are the tari asyik from Kelantan and the joget gamelan from Pahang and Terengganu. The 5-tone scale found in the joget gamelan serves as the tonal basis for all melodies in the repertory. The tradition of music and dance known as tarinai or terinai exists in the folk and, formerly, in the classical traditions in the northwestern states of Kedah and Perlis in Malaysia. Dance is an important means of expressing emotion and aesthetics in East Malaysian societies. In Sarawak the dance called ngajat, also referred to as the ngajat lasan among some groups, usually is danced by a solo male dancer among the Iban people, or by male or female dancers among the Kenyah, Kayan and Kajang communities.
