During the jo-oh, young boys wear facial masks to represent some of the spirits which are mentioned in the songs — Jaboi and Tok Naning. The boys who put on the facial masks wear old clothes and grass skirts to separate them from the other men wearing everyday clothes. 

Female dancers, on the other hand, wear their best clothes and the emphasis is on making themselves as lovely as possible for the occasion.

The physical movements of these masked dancers are also very different from those of the other male and female dancers. Their movements are unpredictable, unlike the male and female dancers who move their feet and hands in a consistent and controlled manner. The masked dancers perform an animal-like prance where the stomach and buttocks are constantly joggled and the hands moved about in an awkward and clumsy manner. Occasionally, they pause to stare and to gape at the audience and the other dancers before joining in the dance again. These masked dancers also threaten to attack the onlookers with their hands and sticks.

The masked dancers dance outside the circle formed by the other male and female dancers. This rule prevents the masked dancers from participating fully in the jo-oh ceremony.

The masked dancers make their exit and appearances at any time they wish, and this may occur several times in any one dance.

Both the masked dancers and the other male and female dancers move in an anti-clockwise direction round the mound. This rite is related to the myth that the original Ma' Betisék siblings moved in opposite directions round the mountain Tahan and married when they remet on the other side of the mountain. In this dance, humans and spirits move in the same direction to prevent a similar event from occurring. Since humans and spirits can never meet one another if they keep moving in the same direction, the opposition between the human and the spiritual world can be maintained.