Main Puteri, also referred to as Main Teghi in the Kelantanese dialect, is one of the authentic arts found in the state of Kelantan. This performance is one of the most popular traditional healing methods of the Kelantan-Pattani Malay community since the olden days. It is admittedly difficult to separate the ‘performing art’ and ‘medical ritual’ aspects in Main Teghi due to the close ties between the two elements. There are many versions about the origin of Main Teghi as source of information. However, since there are no accurate records thus oral sources are the only ones available. In terms of performance, there are interesting elements in Main Teghi that are a combined elements of acting, singing, dancing, miming and music; apart from Islamic, magical and ritual elements. Tok Teghi, the leader of the group, acts as a medium to connect the patient with the summoned spirits. During this process Tok Teghi keeps changing characters; becoming fierce and ferocious, a senile elder, a disabled youth, speaking nasally and various other characters to portray the pain shouldered by the patient. It is believed that there are more than 50 songs in a Main Teghi performance, but now not even 10 are still being performed. Among those commonly performed are entitled Kijang Mas, Mengulit, Pendekar, Cik Muda, Cik Kojo, Menora and Abe. Main Puteri was recognised as a National Heritage in 2012.

Bài Chòi is a diverse art form combining music, poetry, stage acting, painting and literature. It takes two main forms: "Bài Chòi games" and "Bài Chòi performance". "Bài Chòi games" are played during Lunar New Year by Việt people of Central Việt Nam. To play Bài Chòi, nine or eleven bamboo huts are built in a U-shape within a temple yard or in a vacant ground. The hut placed at the bottom of the U shape is called "main hut" (chòi cái), and the game leaders, who can be either male or female, are called Hiệu artists. The game leader takes a card out of a tube of cards, and then sings for people to guess what the card is. This part is called "Hô Thai". Players buy three cards and wait in the hut. Anyone whose three cards match the cards sung by the Hiệu artists will be declared the winner and given the prize. A new session will then restart. "Bài Chòi performance", male and female Hiệu artists perform on a rattan mat. They either travel from place to place to perform, or otherwise are invited to play for private families, forming rattan-peforming or mobile Bài Chòi styles. A single artist may also perform "solo Bài Chòi". In this case, the artists performs a number of theatrical roles. For some artists, Bài Chòi performances are a mean of earning a living. Musical instruments accompanying Bài Chòi include the two-stringed fiddle, clappers, shawm and war drums.

Viet Nam 2017

This ancient theatre form created by Malaysia’s Malay communities combines acting, vocal and instrumental music, gestures and elaborate costumes. Specific to the villages of Kelantan in northwest Malaysia, where the tradition originated, Mak Yong is performed mainly as entertainment or for ritual purposes related to healing practices. Experts believe that Mak Yong appeared well before the Islamization of the country. It was performed as a royal theatre under the direct patronage of the Kelantan Sultanate until the 1920s. Hence, the tradition was perpetuated in a rural context without forsaking the numerous refinements acquired at court, such as sophisticated costume design. A typical Mak Yong performance opens with an offering followed by dances, acting and music as well as improvised monologues and dialogues. A single story can be presented over several consecutive nights in a series of three-hour performances. In the traditional village setting, the performances are held on a temporary open stage built of wood and palm leaves. The audience sits on three sides of the stage, the fourth side being reserved for the orchestra consisting of a three-stringed spiked fiddle (rebab), a pair of doubleheaded barrel drums (gendang) and hanging knobbed gongs (tetawak). Most roles are performed by women, and the stories are based on ancient Malay folk tales peopled with royal characters, divinities and clowns. Mak Yong is also associated with rituals in which shamans attempt to heal through song, trance-dance and spirit possession.

Malaysia 2008