The Dance Pilgrim

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...

The links between Malaysia, particularly the Faculty of Dance at ASWARA and South Korea are getting stronger every year. The invitation of Shariful Azmi Suhaimi to the 5 th Daegu Korean Traditional Dance Festival and Workshops that took place between 18 and 25 May 2009 is another that has cemented the artistic ties between these two countries. This festival was held at the Daegu Dong-gu Culture and Sports Center, a theatre that seats 1200 audience and also at smaller venues at universities in Seoul and Daegu City. This intimate festival features performances and workshops by artists from across Korea and Shafirul was the sole international participant, which is an incredible honour for a young artist. Born in Sabah, 29-year old Shafirul is the son of senior choreographer Suhaimi Magi. Shafirul is an experienced traditional dancer who gained experience by dancing Sabah Cultural Board and the Kedah Performing Arts Organization, performing in England, Scotland, France, Indonesia, C...

The Slave Princess in Kota Kinabalu Teo May Jean; Photo: James Quah The production of The Slave Princess was staged on 28-29 August 2009 at the Tun Raffae Auditorium Yayasan Sabah and was organized by The Dance Society of Malaysia, the Rotary Club of Tanjung Aru, The Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu (SPArKS) and SRJK Chung Hwa KK and Living Hope Malaysia. The performance was staged as a fund-raising performance for SRJK Chung Hwa Building Fund, Jireh Home, and PACOS Trust. The production of The Slave Princess choreographed by Lee Yupin, was last staged at the Istana Budaya in November 2007 with Bryan Chan and Ellyn Chew and Suhaili Ahmad Kamil as the leads but this East Malaysia production featured a new and younger cast. Prior to this, there was a 1999 staging which was danced by Too Cyndee and Umesh Shetty which indicates that it is a production that has the ability to showcase the talents and provide a platform for the best ballet dancers in Malaysia of a particula...

Photo: Courtesy of KL DanceWorks On 9 and 10 January 2010, Istana Budaya was the hub of ballet in Malaysia. In a programme organised by KL Danceworks Production and Ena Ballet Studio, and presented by KNM Group Bhd with Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd as the main sponsor, it provided a glorious evening of ballet that will remain with fans for a very long time. The evening was a double-bill beginning with Paquita . This classical repertoire was first choreographed by Joseph Mazilier with music by Edouard Deldevez for the Paris Opera Ballet. However, in 1847, it was staged for the Imperial Ballet in Russia by19 th century maestro Marius Petipa with addttional music by Ludwig Minkus, and has enjoyed a present-day rejuvenation through the new choreography by Natalia Makarova, the legendary Prima Ballerina of the Kirov Ballet, before she defected to the west and worked with the American Ballet Theatre and England's The Royal Ballet and more. This production for Malaysia feature...

                Kerala Natanam written by Kusum Gopalakrishnan and translated by Ram Gopal Sivadas and Apsara Ram Gopal was launched at an intimate evening at the High Commission of India on the 16 November 2008. This is the first publication by the Kshetra Academy, an independent private bharatanatyam academy run by Apsara Ram Gopal. The 196-page book filled with priceless photographs is a profound tribute to the late great master teacher Guru Gopinath and traces his life and his career over a span of 50 years from his roots as a young aspiring dancer to the great heights he eventually reached. The history of Guru Gopinath is one that bears importance to dance afficionados as his lineage has had a tremendous impact on the performance and teaching of  bharatanatyam in Malaysia and Singapore. His shishya (student/disciple) was the late V.K. Sivadas who immigrated to Kuala Lumpur in the 50s, married Vats...

As I drive along each morning, from the vantage point of the Old Klang Road, and I must admit a little perilously, I inevitably look out for the progress of a new building along the filthy waters of the Klang River. Standing majestic, slowly clawing its way towards the skyline is a brick-red building that will stand no more than 5 floors high (and a roof terrace) but speaks louder to me (perhaps I am being simple, narrow-minded even) than all of Kuala Lumpur’s sky-scrapers! This building is the new physical realization of the heart and soul of a community with a dream. I remember, for the longest time, that every show I attended was in benefit of this proposed building - this is still on-going! It seemed like it was taking forever to even get off the ground. I must admit that there were times when, like all doubting Thomases, I too, doubted it would ever get built. In the past few years, as my relationship with members of this community has become more profound, and my role as a...

The 2nd. National Chinese Cultural Dance Competition organized by the Chinese Language Society of Malacca and Multi-Media University was held at the Taman Budaya, Department of Arts and Culture, Malacca from Friday to Sunday, 10-12 Mar 2006. A total of 45 groups, consisting of Chinese dance associations, secondary schools, cultural clubs and private dance schools, including seven from Singapore, took part in the exhausting three-day event. Although I am personally not in favour of competitions, primarily because of issues of judging, or the inevitable feelings of disappointment when dealing with losses, and equally, the inappropriate sense of over-estimating ability when emerging champions. I do understand that there are many benefits and I attempt to stay focused on the potential to develop a sense of teamwork, and improve the performance quality. Therefore, for the first time, I decided to enter the dance students of ASWARA in this event, to gauge the level of achievement and eff...