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SEWANG: RITUAL ADAPTATION TO ART PERFORMANCE TOURISM

WRITTEN BY: DURATUL AIN DOROTHY BT JONATHAN LINGGANG, AYU HASWIDA ABU BAKAR & AHMAD KAMIL
ZULKEPELI

Sewang or known as Jenulang (in the language of the Semai tribe) is a traditional ceremony of the aborigines (in the context of this study
refers to the Semai tribe) which is ritual and sacred. While the Sewang dance refers to the dance movement found in the Sewang ceremony
that serves healing purposes. Where this dance movement is a spiritual medium between man and the supernatural. Therefore, this Sewang
dance does not have a standard rhythm and style and it depends on the nature of the supernatural entity. This dance ceremony will take place
for an indefinite period time and is subject to the circumstances and atmosphere of the emergence of the entity. Even so, what is interesting
here, the Sewang dance which is one of the main elements of the Sewang ceremony has been appointed as an art performance tourism by the
Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia. Therefore, the focus of this study is on the adaptation process carried out by JAKOA and the
Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, to the Sewang ceremony to become the Sewang Dance, as an art performance tourism. This
qualitative study uses an ethnographic approach to performing arts.