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Kabasaran dance is a traditional dance of the Minahasa community. The word "Kabasaran" comes from the word "Wasal", meaning a rooster. The dancers are called "Kawasalan", which means dancing by imitating the movements of two fighting roosters. The word "Kawasalan" was later changed to "Kabasaran" which is a combination of the two words "Kawasal ni Sarian". "Kawasal" means accompanying and following the dance movements, while "Sarian" is a war leader who leads the traditional Minahasa warrior dance. The development of the Manado-Malay language then changed the letter "W" to "B" so that the word changed to "Kabasaran".

The Kabasaran dance movement is quite energetic and it symbolizes the spirit of a war soldier. The dance movement is led by a performance leader called ‘Tombolu’. In general, the basic structure of the Kabasaran dance consists of nine sword moves (santi) or nine spear moves (wengkouw). The dancers dance while carrying swords inherited from generation to generation. This dance generally consists of three acts. The first movement is "Cakalele", which comes from the word "Saka" meaning to fight, and "Lele" which means to chase and jump. This second round is called "Kumoyak", coming from the word "Koyak" which means, swinging a sharp sword to calm oneself from anger when fighting. The last movement is "Lalaya'an". In this part, the dancers dance freely and happily. Now, this dance is not only danced by adult men, but also performed by women and children.

Kabasaran dance is accompanied by the sound of drums or small gongs and other percussion instruments, such as gongs. The costumes used are in red shirts and pants; the dancers also use Minahasa woven cloth called, Kokerah, Pasolongan, Tinonton, and Patola. In addition to using cloth, dancers also wear a Kabasaran hat. The original Kabasaran hat is made of a headband cloth decorated with the feathers of rooster, Taong bird and Cendrawasih bird.  There are also canoes or Tiwoho flower stalk decorations. Other ornaments include “Lei-lei” or necklaces, “Wongkur”, calf covers, “Rerenge'en” or bells, which are made of brass and tied to a part of the body that is easy and active to move, usually below the knee or on the ankles.