KUCHING: The Bintang Irama dan Tari Sarawak (BITS) 2024 Festival focuses not only on art performances but also on promoting unity and celebrating Sarawak's rich cultural diversity, while encouraging the growth of arts and culture in the state.

Seven Malaysian creative dance groups and ten singers competed for the top titles in the Festival Tari Malaysia Sarawak State Level and the Bintang Asli Remaja Sarawak State Level during the competition.

Participating dance groups include Tandak Armada, Nuansa Dance Troupe, Kasuma Tari, Gah Rentak Arts & Culture, Majestic Shades Dancer, Nyalang Ritma Dansar, and Rumpun Seni UITM Sarawak whereas singers competing for the top title included Firmanul Hakim, Putri Nabilah Jamaluddin, Hazmil Hasnan, Zarra Aleesya Mohd Iskandar, Abdul Halim Hisamudin, Khairunilyanisa Habi Rahman, Mohd Afirul Affan Mohd Azmi, Sabreena Myra Kerry, Muhamad Syahmi Furqan Lamran, and Ezra Elviana Jimek.

The Director of Jabatan Kebudayaan & Kesenian Negara (JKKN) Sarawak, Nor Seela Noor Sulaiman, representing the Director-General of the National Department for Culture and Arts, stated that the strategic collaboration between the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN) and the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industries, and Performing Arts (MTCP) in organising this festival serves as a platform for everyone to appreciate and support local artists, especially the younger generation, to express their creativity and talent more wisely.

“The BITS 2024 Festival is not only about artistic performances but also about fostering a spirit of unity and appreciating the cultural diversity in Sarawak.

“This festival encourages us to better understand and appreciate each other's cultures, while promoting the sharing of knowledge and learning from one another. We would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to continue supporting and preserving our cultural heritage,” she said.

She said this during her speech at Day 2 of The Bintang Irama dan Tari Sarawak (BITS) 2024 Festival at Auditorium Tun Ahmad Zaidi, Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Batu Lintang on Sunday.

Gah Rentak Arts & Culture emerged as the winner of the Festival Tari Malaysia Sarawak State Level, with Kesuma Tari securing second place and Majestic Shades Dancers taking third place.

In the men’s category for Bintang Asli Remaja, Firmanul Hakim claimed first place, Abdul Halim Hisamudin came in second, and Muhamad Syahmi Furqan Lamran earned third place.

For the women’s category of Bintang Asli Remaja, Putri Nabilah Jamaluddin won first place, Ezra Elviana Jimek achieved second place, and Sabreena Myra Kerry finished in third place.

The winning team of the Festival Tari Malaysia Sarawak State Level received a cash prize of RM10,000, while the second-place team was awarded RM7,000 and the third-place team also received RM7,000.

In the Bintang Asli Remaja competition, winners in both the men’s and women’s categories were given RM5,000, second place received RM3,000, and third place was awarded RM2,000. -UKASnews