Manora Dance Festival

Manora (also known as Manora dance drama or Manora dance) is a type of dance drama originating in Southern Thailand and practiced mainly in the northern states of Malaysia and southern provinces of Thailand. The basic features of the performance include a lengthy invocation, a dance by the main character, and a play or skit.
Manora is based on Thai legends of Manohara, derived from the Buddhist Jataka tales, many of which already accultured into Malay society centuries ago. In the northwestern state of Kedah and Perlis, it is performed in a mixture of Thai and local dialects, but adheres to the invocation-play in a distinctly north Malaysian style and incorporates some elements of Jikey and Mek Mulung.