| Description |
Tari Asyik is a Kelantanese court dance that traces its roots to the Sultanate of Pattani during the reign of Ratu Kuning (Yellow Queen) in the 17th century. The Hikayat Patani narrates that the court of Ratu Kuning cultivated a group of twelve dancing maidens, known as Asyik. Legend has it that Asyik dance was created to comfort the grieving Ratu Kuning over the loss of her favourite bird. It is also said to have been the most beloved dance of the legendary Kelantanese princess, Puteri Saadong. Over time, the dance became popular among common people and is now used as folk entertainment during festivals and marriages. The dance costume is a piece of sarong tied above the chest, with a belt and small tiara. The main dance move is sitting down with both legs folded to the side with movements that depict ‘a bird’, ‘sea wave’ and ‘ an elephant in delivery’. Nowadays, there are changes in this dance that are the dancers are fully clothed, and from sitting down with both legs folded to the side to a little body rise position. The musical accompaniment for Tari Asyik usually consists of gendang (double-headed Malay drum), serunai (Malay oboe) or rebab (spike fiddle), canang (brass percussion), kesi (cymbals), and gong |
