Kinds of Dayak Dance

Original Photo from http://www.ciputranews.com/esai/festival-budaya-dayak-2013-berlangsung-di-jakarta

Art are part of the Dayak life. These arts are on various kinds such as dancing, carving, weaving, sculpturing. Their sculptured statues and carving are physically representing their gods and their carving is influenced by their culture and belief. Dances are usually performed in ritual ceremony to welcome their heroes or important guesses. There are a number of dances in Central Kalimantan such as:

1. Tari Mandau (Mandau Dance). This dance is performed when welcoming important guesses for a ceremony, but it is also performed for friendship or when welcoming heroes after winning a war. This dance is danced by old and young people, men or women.
2. Tari Mandau Kinyah (Mandau Kinyah Dance). This dance is particularly performed for heroes who are coming from war. 
3. Tari Giring-Giring (Giring-giring Dance). This dance is danced by men and women in couples. Each dancer hold one or two bamboo sticks (in such away), one of the bamboo is filled with small pieces of stones when it is shakes it produces sound and this sound is a companied by traditional music like Kangkanong (gamelan) and drum. The giring-giring dance is performed to celebrate special occasions and to welcome guesses. 
4. Tari Mangetam (Harvesting Dance). This dance is performed at harvest and this symbolize of the expression of thanks to god/gods on the overwhelming. 
5. Tari Gelang Bawo (Gelang Bawo Dance). Gelang Bawo dance comes from Dayak Maanyan who is name Tewang Rawayab who life in the highland of the Dayak Bawo area. The background story of this dance is: one day the chief of Bawo name Dataktoo had got a son who was name Lala and his hobby was hunting. He always pray because he was success in hunting. Then because of this, he dances to show his capability and skills. 
6. Tari Gelang Dadas (Gelang Dadas Dance). This dance usually performed by women. The background story of this dance is; One day she went for asceticism and met a cobra and jaguar. Both of the animals gave her some instructions in order to get supernatural power. At least, she was able to dance and her body moved like the movement of snake’s body and she could also fly like eagle in the sky.

Apart from all dance that have been mention above these are still a number of beautiful Dayak dances such as Bukas, Balau Ngajan, Kanjan Halu, Kerangkang and Dandang Tinggang dances.

Good luck, may useful and lets trip