PENANG: Hotpants are okay but not halter-necks, bikini tops or see-through outfits.
This is the new dress code for ko tai (in Hokkien, stage performance) girls who perform stage shows here during the Hungry Ghosts festival.
At least 150 modern stage shows and opera performances on makeshift stages will be held throughout Penang during the festival that began on Monday and will end on Sept 10.
Young and pretty singers, dubbed the ko tai girls, are a crowd puller here as they belt out the latest hits and dance to fast-paced and loud music during the modern stage shows.
Penang Teong Guan Association chairman Lim Yam Koi, who co-ordinates the month-long festival, has however warned show organisers to keep tabs on the outfits worn by female performers.
?In the past, there were cases where ko tai girls who wore see-through outfits without undergarments to spice up their acts.
?Although we have not received complaints on scantily dressed female singers for the past three years, I have instructed all members to monitor the performances, especially on the dress code,? he said yesterday.
?Singers and dancers will be advised not to wear tube-tops, bare-backs and bikini-like outfits on stage. Hot pants are okay,? he said.
The Taoists believe that the Gates of Hell are open during the seventh lunar month, freeing the spirits of the underworld for the duration. Stage performances and sumptuous feasts are held for the benefit of the deities and spirits.
Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman said permits issued to organisers for the month-long celebration clearly stated that female performers should be properly dressed.
?We will move in if we receive complaints of female singers or dancers who wear skimpy outfits. We will act accordingly, including revoking their permits for the stage shows.?
Lim said a total 216 ko tai committees had registered with the association this year and they intended to raise RM1mil for SRJK (C) Chong Teik in Balik Pulau.
?Last year, we raised RM1.53mil for Convent Datuk Keramat?s school building fund.
?This year, Mandarin Hotel in Betong, Thailand, is sponsoring 300 rooms. The vouchers will be fairly distributed to the committees as lucky draw prizes during their dinner celebrations,? he added.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?fi ... sec=nation
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