Artistari is a professional group of performing arts from Istana Budaya, it consists of 47 dancers and 25 traditional musicians (Malaysian Traditional Orchestra). During its establishment in 1972, the group consisted of 20 dancers and was known as the National Cultural Complex (KBN). Over the years, it has grown into a creative unit that delivers stately and impressive performances. In 1998, the name KBN was changed to Artistari Istana Budaya and it has become one of the largest performing arts groups in Malaysia since then. The skills of traditional musicians in producing songs for performances have paved the way for synergetic collaboration between Artistari Istana Budaya and the Malaysian Traditional Orchestra. This collaboration successfully produced various performances such as dance dramas, music theater, aristocracy and traditional makyong theater. Collaboration is also an important factor in folk, government, ethnic and contemporary dance performances. Artistari is a unit under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. The unit is also often invited to participate in art festivals for the purpose of promoting national culture and heritage at home and abroad. Apart from that, this unit is also involved in Citrawarna Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur International Craft Festival, ASEAN Dance Festival, Ramayana Festival, Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin, Malaysia Week and Travel Market in London. To date, Dance Artists have performed in more than 60 countries.