KUALA LUMPUR: A 24-festival drum team of SJKC Sentul made up of pupils from multi-ethnic groups performed for the first time at the palace on Monday.

The 24-festival drum team of SJKC Sentul, made up of 12 Chinese pupils, three Malays and three Sabahans, performed at the afternoon tea reception hosted by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia for local artistes.

“The pupils delivered a stunning performance with seamless coordination reflecting a multiracial team working together in perfect harmony,’’ said Datuk Eddie Heng, chairman of the school board of SJKC Sentul.

The drummers greeted the arrival of Her Majesty with powerful and synchronized drumming, coordinated choreography and dynamic body movements.

Deep and commanding, the sound of 24-festival drums instantly lived up the atmosphere in the hall with a two-minute performance.

The 24-festival drum team practices twice a week and each practice session lasts for two hours, said Heng, adding that the school board supports the team by sponsoring it.

Also known as 24-season drums, the performance was created by two Malaysians Tan Chai Puan and the late Tan Hooi Song in 1988.

Tan, a cultural activist, poet and cartoonist while the late Tan a musician where both shared the same vision and worked together to create the 24-Festival Drums, based on the 24 festivals in the lunar calendar of the Chinese community which guided Chinese farmers in agricultural activities for thousand of years.