Woman performing Inang dance with grace steals many hearts

Easy does it: A screengrab of Koo taking the #Inangchallenge on YouTube. The video went viral on social media after it was shared by a choreographer.

PETALING JAYA: A video of a 61-year-old Chinese woman performing a traditional Malay Inang dance gracefully has won the hearts of people after it went viral on social media.

Koo Soo Ming, who is not a professional dancer, took the #InangChallenge and her video was shared by dance choreographer Kerol Mohtar, which went viral on his Twitter account.

The Inang dance is a modern version of the traditional Mak Inang dance, which was initially performed by court ladies during the time of the Malacca Sultanate.

The dance video has garnered 150,000 views, 5,800 retweets and more than 9,500 likes so far.

Koo, who is from Kelantan, was one of Kerol’s followers on YouTube, and a huge fan of traditional Malay dances, Kerol told mStar, the Bahasa Malaysia news portal of Star Media Group.

“I have never met her in person. We only interacted on social media, including Whatsapp. She is my follower on YouTube. Last month, she asked me about a song. She also asked me to teach her how to dance.

“She said she was interested in Malay traditional dance and that she sees positive values in such dances, ” explained Kerol, who also has his own dance troupe known as the Nyala Dance Theatre.

He said he shared the video because he was impressed with Koo’s talent for dancing.

“She shared the video last Thursday. She said the video was part of her appreciation for me as I am her inspiration.

“So I immediately shared it on Twitter and Facebook as it is unique. That aunty is a Chinese and she is not a dancer.“She also has a strong passion for Malay dance. What I can see from the video is that it can unite all of us, ” said the 36-year-old dancer.

Koo said it took her one day to learn and practise the Inang dance.

“I practised only for one day, but I watched the Inang dance videos for a few days because I wanted to familiarise myself with the steps.

“I have been a big fan of traditional Malay dance since I was young. I also liked to watch Malay films and listen to Malay songs, ” said the retired Bahasa Malaysia and literature teacher.

Many netizens have praised the video. One of them, Nadiah, said on Twitter: “Her dance is so smooth as if she is a professional.”

“Her energy is nothing like a 61-year-old woman. Powerlah aunty, ” said another user known as Kodokcomott.

To check out her dance, click here.