The Dance Pilgrim

The Singapore Youth Festival (SYF),  launched on 18 July 1967,   was originally organized by Education Programmes Division to  encourage school-going Singapore youth to develop their artistic talents. Held each year in March and April,  the festival gained added significance in 1994, when then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong declared it a national event. Since  2012, its facilitation, and management have been led by the Student Development Curriculum Division of the Ministry of Education.                  Despite its national endorsement, the organization of the festival has not been smooth sailing. It has encountered challenges and resistance from a society driven by academic excellence and financial success, particularly in the 1970s, as a developing nation. The primary reason was many felt that devoting numerous hours to rehearsals and performances would keep the students away from their textbooks therefore affectin...

Introduction  Tari Inai , a traditional folk dance form, is the case study through which this article will address generic issues in the process of transition and propagation. It intends to reveal unique challenges within the Malaysian environment and discuss the impact of these changes through the lens of gender representation. The dance has been practiced (it claims to date back to the 18th century) in a town called Pasir Mas in the north eastern state of Kelantan, Malaysia. Since 1991, Kelantan has been ruled by the fundamentalist Islamic party PAS that bans gaming, alcohol, cinema halls, unisex hair salons, public swimming pools, performing arts and other activities that are deemed ‘un-Islamic’. This includes the ban impacts upon females in theatre, music, and dance as teachers, students, and scholars. Ironically, Kelantan is one of the most culturally rich areas in Malaysia. This region is home to diverse performing arts which is a result of transnational migration, hyb...