ABSTRACT
The composite sound of the instruments can be heard from afar and it draws visitors and other villagers to the event. On these occasions, any of the celebrants and guests can dance to the music. Dance has a more profound meaning as symbolic action in Sabah, when it is performed by ritual specialists in ritual contexts. As Roseman observed among the Temiar of peninsular Malaysia, 'symbol-laden sounds and body movements' are believed to awaken the universe and attract spirits to interact in the human world. A lunsay performance often begins with two concentric circles of participants, one of young women headed by an old woman, and the other of young men led by an older man. Runsai or lunsay embodies both music and dance through the human body which moves and sounds. During major social celebrations and small gatherings in the home, people listen and dance to the sound patterns of instrumental music.
