| 1. |
Date of Activities
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Gala and Opening Night – Aug 29, 2026 |
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International Folk/Line Dance Night – Aug 30, 2026 |
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International Children Dance and Indigenous Dance Night – Aug 31, 2026 |
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International Dance Concert - September 1 & 2, 2026. |
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1.1. Date of Arrival |
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For Gala & Opening Night, International Folk/Line, Children Dance, and Indigenous Dance Night -Aug 29, 2026. Before 6pm. |
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For International Dance Concert - Aug 31 2026. Before 6pm. |
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1.2. Date of departure: |
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For groups not participating in International Dance Concert– September 1, 2026. Before 1pm. |
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For groups participating in International Dance Concert – September 3, 2026. Before 1pm. |
| 2. |
Activities of SIDF 2026 |
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2.1. International Handicraft and Food Exhibition |
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2.2. Gala and Opening Night |
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2.3. International Folk/Line Dance Night |
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2.4. International Children Dance Night |
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2.5. International Indigenous Dance Night |
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2.6. International Dance Concert |
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2.7. Outdoor Performance at Sibu Central Market |
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2.8. Outdoor Performance at Sibu Esplanade |
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2.9. Outdoor Drawing and Painting Competition |
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2.10. Fun Dance |
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2.11. Dance Workshop |
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2.12. Dance Seminar |
| 3. |
Group size: |
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Each group may include up to 14 members only (12 dancers, 1 director/staff, 1 choreographer). |
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Tentative Program |
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12th SIBU INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL 2026 Date: 28 Aug - 2 September, 2026 Tentative Program
| Day |
Date |
Time |
Activities |
Venue |
| |
Aug 29 - Sept 2 |
1000-2100 |
International Handicraft & Food Exhibition |
RH Hotel |
| 1 |
Aug 29 - Sept 2 |
1000-2100 |
Posters Exhibition of SIDF previous year/td>
| RH Hotel |
| Aug 29 Sat |
0700-1700 |
Check in / Participants' arrival |
RH Hotel |
| 1900-2200 |
Gala and Opening Night |
Jasmine Ballroom, RH Hotel, Sibu |
| 2 |
Aug 30 Sun |
0930-1100 |
Dance Workshop |
RH Hotel |
| 1130-1230 |
Outdoor Site-specific Performance |
Central Market, Sibu |
| 1400-1600 |
Dance Seminar |
RH Hotel |
| 1900-2000 |
Fun Dance |
Sibu Esplanade |
| 2000-2200 |
International Folk/Line Dance Dance Night |
Sibu Esplanade |
| 3 |
Aug 31 Mon |
0930-1100 |
Dance Workshop |
RH Hotel |
| 1130-1230 |
Outdoor Site-specific Performance |
Central Market, Sibu |
| 1400-1600 |
Dance Seminar |
RH Hotel |
| 1900-2000 |
Live music and dance |
Sibu Esplanade |
| 2000-2200 |
International Children and Indigenous Dance Night |
Sibu Esplanade |
| 4 |
Sept 1 Tues |
0930-1100 |
Dance Workshop |
RH Hotel |
| 1400-1600 |
Dance Seminar |
RH Hotel |
| 1930-2130 |
International Dance Concert I |
Jasmine Ballroom, RH Hotel, Sibu |
| 5 |
Sept 2 Wed |
0930-1100 |
Dance Workshop |
RH Hotel |
| 1130-1230 |
Outdoor Site-specific Performance |
Central Market, Sibu |
| 1400-1600 |
Dance Seminar |
RH Hotel |
| 1930-2130 |
International Dance Concert II |
Jasmine Ballroom, RH Hotel, Sibu |
| 6 |
Sept 3 Thur |
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Departure day |
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| 4. |
Application: |
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4.1 Application Open: Feb 1, 2026 |
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4.2 Application Deadline: April 1, 2026 |
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4.3 Required Information |
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4.3.1 Overview Information; |
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4.3.2 Dance Information Form for International Dance Concert
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4.3.3 Dance Workshop Information Form; |
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4.3.4 Dance Seminar Information Form; |
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4.3.5 Personal information of participants; |
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4.4 Submission of Application
- All the required information should be submitted before the deadline through www.sidfestival.com.
- Only applications submitted through online form at the website are accepted.
- Please do not mail DVDs.
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Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
For further information, please contact:
sidfestival@gmail.com
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4.5 Dance photos with costumes are much appreciated
- Please submit 4-5 pieces of high-resolution pictures of each dance piece in jpeg format.
- Images must be at least 1.5 MB, or 300dpi or width or height of more than 1200px.
- The pictures will be applied for press release and festival booklet.
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4.6 Confirmation of participation
- SIDF will send an official invitation to the selected participating group before April 30, 2026.
- No explanation will be given to any groups that are not accepted by the committee of SIDF 2026.
- The committee of SIDF 2026 strictly requests the selected participating groups to respond with an official letter confirming their participation along with confirmed flight booking slips to SIDF before May 30, 2026.
- The period of SIDF 2026 is the middle second semester school holiday of Malaysia and the flight is always full during the school holiday. We advise participants to book the flight ticket to Sibu early. The earlier to book the flight tickets, the price will be cheaper.
Flight company from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to Sibu:
1. www.malaysiaairlines.com
2. www.airasia.com
3. www.malindoair.com (now known as Batik Air)
4. https://www.flyscoot.com/en (Fly in from Singapore).
5. www.airborneo.com
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| 5. |
Performances: |
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1. Gala and Opening Night |
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2. International Folk/Line Dance Night |
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3. International Children Dance Night |
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4. International Indigenous Dance Night |
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5. Outdoor Site-specific Performance |
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6. International Dance Concert |
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2-night International Dance Concerts: |
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The main concerts will be held in the ballroom hall of RH Hotel, Sibu.
This is a theatre-like performance space which can accommodate about 500 seats.
The maximum total performance duration for the 2-night concerts is 15 minutes per group.
The 15 minutes of performance for dance concert can be a full piece or a combination of several short dance works. The short dance works will either be arranged to be performed in one single night, or be slotted into two different nights of the dance concert. Copied or imitated dance works are not permitted to be performed in the concert.
Applications without viable video links containing rehearsal or finished performance piece will not be considered. The video links must be made accessible via YouTube or other video hosting sites.
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Floor Plan for International Dance Concert at Grand Jasmine Ballroom, RH Hotel, Sibu.
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Locations of Outdoor Site-specific Performance at Sibu Esplanade
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Location No.1 – The Square

Aerial view of Location No.1 The Square

Location No.2 – Red Booth

Location No.3 – Swan Area

Location No.4 – Iron Frame

Location No.5 – Play Ground

Location No.6 – Red Bridge Area



* Please be noted that outdoor performance will be cancelled if the weather creates unsafe performance conditions onsite.
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Outdoor site-specific performance at Sibu Central Market:
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The event will be held at the Central Market in Sibu Town, with audiences surrounding the performers and experiencing the performance at close range.
The duration for each dance group’s performance is 5-10 minutes. The performance will be held in the day time during the festival period.
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* Please be noted that outdoor performance will be cancelled if the weather creates unsafe performance conditions onsite.
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| 6. |
Other activities: |
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6.1 Dance Workshops |
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Those who are interested to share dance skills and techniques in the festival to the public, can assign a representative as the lecturer/facilitator to host a dance workshop.
The workshop facilitators shall provide the organizer their personal profile, the materials about the dance workshop such as printed materials, mp3 format music in USB, and a video link of the dance.
Duration of workshop: 90 minutes.
Target participants: Dance lovers or students, or those interested who may or may not have professional dance training background.




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6.2 Dance Seminar/talk |
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Those who are interested to share dance knowledge, concepts, and choreographing ideas can assign a representative as the lecturer/facilitator to host a dance seminar/talk.
The seminar facilitators shall provide the organizer their personal profile, the materials about the dance seminar such as printed materials, talk slideshow/pdf and mp3 format music in USB (if any).
Duration: 1 hour or 1 hour 30 minutes.
Target participants: The seminar is open to the public.


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6.3 Local Trip |
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Local trips will be arranged for participating dance groups interested in exploring Sibu (please let us know in advance before the event). The expenses will be paid by the participants. We will pass the contact of the those interested to the travel agency, to directly deal with the agents. The day trip includes:
- Bintangor & Sarikei Countryside
- Countryside & Iban Long House
- Fuzhou Heritage Trail
- The Melanau Heritage Trail
- Ulu Sarikei Nature Trail
- Sibu Downtown Discovery
- Upper Rajang Discovery
- Rejang River Cruise
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| 7. |
Support from the Organizer: |
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7.1 Transportation |
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All participant groups for SIDF should arrive at Sibu on 29 August 2026 before 6pm and leaving on the 3 September 2026 before 1pm.
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Participants are responsible for their flight transportations and expenses both to and depart from Sibu. SIDF does not pay for the flight expenses for the participants.
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During the stated period of SIDF, the organizer will provide local transportation to all sites of the official activities, including the transfer between Sibu airport and hotel. Participants will have to provide correct flight information and update the organizer if the flight time changed.
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However, transportation will only be provided according to the time prescribed on SIDF 2026 scheduled transport timetable. For transportation outside of the timetable schedule, participants will have to pay for the transport fee.
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For those who arrive earlier than 29 August 2026 and leaving later than 3 September 2026 before 1pm will have to pay for their own transport expenses and hotel room expenses.
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7.2 Accommodation |
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Depending on the events the participating groups attended, SIDF will offer accommodation between August 29 to September 2, 2026 at RH Hotel Sibu.
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SIDF will only provide accommodation to a maximum of 14 members of each group (12 dancers, 1 director, 1 choreographer).
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Check in on 29 August 2026 before 6pm, and check out on 3 September 2025 before 1pm.
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The accommodation will be room sharing-based arrangement. Depending on the size of the room provided by the hotel, two to four persons will be sharing a room. Members from different groups (same genders only) will be arranged to share a room when necessary.
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Participants who wish to have a room to themselves and do not wish to share with others will be required to pay the room charges at the SIDF registration counter during hotel check-in. One room is RM200 per night.
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Please note that SIDF is not responsible for the expenses of accommodation if the group arrives earlier or departs later than the date and time decided by SIDF.
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SIDF is also not responsible for any room service or extra charges induced by participants in their stay during the event.
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Participants will be arranged to stay at RH Hotel, Sibu.
Address:
RH Hotel
Kampung Nyabor Road,
96000 Sibu,
Sarawak,
Malaysia
Contact: 084-365 888
Website: https://rhhotels.com.my/sibu
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7.3 Meals |
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During the 5-day period from Aug 29 to September 2, 2026, the organizer will provide meals (breakfast and dinner only; no lunch will be provided) to all participants through the assigned Liaison Officer to a maximum of 14 members of each group.
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Meals will be paid by the participants if arrive earlier or depart later than the prescribed date and time. The meals will only be served within the stated dining time on the timetable.
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| 8. |
Insurance and other fees |
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All participants are requested to arrange for own individual travel and medical insurance during the stay in Malaysia. If visa is needed, the visa fee shall be covered by the participants.
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| 9. |
Photography and Video Recording |
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All photography and video recording in the indoor performance venue not authorized by SIDF committee are prohibited.
Participants will only to allow to video their own performance if allowed by the organizer in the indoor performance.
Participating groups will receive a photos and video link of their indoor performance to use for non-profit promotional purposes in 30 days after the festival.
For outdoor performance, participants are free to record their own videos, while SIDF committee will provide indoor performance photos and videos only.
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| 10. |
Rules to be observed by participant groups |
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10.1 Follow the scheduled program |
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10.2 Attend all related activities arranged by SIDF 2026. |
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10.3 Cooperate with all the arrangements and instructions given by the staff members. |
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10.4 Be punctual for all activities. Late arrival or early departure is not allowed. |
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10.5 SIDF reserves the rights to broadcast the festival performances, partly or entirely. |
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10.6 SIDF reserves the rights to use any performance pictures or videos for the festival’s purposes. |
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10.7 No open flame is allowed in any of our buildings at any time, including all theatres and dressing rooms. |
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10.8 Smoking is prohibited in all buildings. Please inform any smokers of this in advance of your arrival to avoid any misunderstandings. |
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10.9 Please take care of your personal valuables to the festival, we have limited capability to provide secure storage for personal property, and are not responsible should your personal property be lost or stolen. Please contact the counter of the hotel to arrange for safe keeping of personal belongings and any company equipment. |
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10.10 Only authorized personnel will be allowed to enter back stage or onstage. Due to limited space, for your safety and ours, friends or family members are prohibited backstage or onstage. |
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10.11 All company equipment and belongings must be removed from the performance space right after your performance. You may not leave items to be picked up following your departure. |
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10.12 Cooperate with the organizer to achieve successful Sibu International Dance Festival 2025 event. |
| 11. |
For any inquiries, please contact: |
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SIBU INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL
No. 46, 3rd Floor, Lane 1 Lanang Road,
96000 Sibu, Sarawak,
Malaysia.
Tel: 006 084 349932
WhatsApp: +6 0168937614 (message only)
Fax: 006 084 349932
Email:
sidfestival@gmail.com
Website:
http://sidfestival.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/SibuInternationalDanceFestival |