Blurring Images, Glowing Likenesses: Old and New Styles in Traditional Dances of Malaysia

Extract

Dance creation and processes of artistic aspirations by individual folk dancers and folk dance ensembles in Malaysia mirror the rich cultural heritage of the people. The past and the present are represented in living traditions of Malaysian dance culture. Motions and sounds are celebrated within specific spaces and times expressing influences of past and present civilisations. Young choreographers and dancers, while keen to pursue newer dance pieces, are always aware of the omnipresence of the past in the present. The evolution of Malaysia's folk dances is an ongoing process that is experiencing cross-border sharing of new dance motifs and musical arrangements between the Malays of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. Conventions of movements and musical structures of Malay folk dance traditions are shared between these communities. Events that shaped the formation of new styles of Malay folk dances were also effective in spreading and affirming old and new dance styles. When Malay folk dances spread to movies and amusement parks in the 1950s, new interpretations of dances became fashionable. The 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s witnessed the enhancements of older dances and evolved them into contemporary forms. This essay traces the changes within the Zapin dance genre and delineates the three styles in which Zapin is now performed in contemporary Malaysia.