Sunday, January 30, 2011

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there are various types of dance throughout the world in which he highlights the arts and culture of a people or nation. Thus, dance art should be maintained for future generations to know and learn the dance in detail, and traditional dances will not be forgotten by the public will come. Dance also reflects the culture and identity of the multi-ethnic society.
             In the era of modernization of human behavior that lead to glorify the western culture has swallowed dance era. The younger generation no longer know how to dance a traditional dance as they danced modern dance. Consequently, traditional dancing and getting swallowed times less attention. Let us look at the present time is difficult for us to see traditional dances danced except in crowded gatherings such as weddings and cultural events.
             It has been the responsibility of the younger generation to develop dance in the eyes of the world so that it is known by many. Not all the dances for the community especially the Malay community, such as Poco-poco dance is said to be illegal for the dancers, but rather when to exercise. So, hopefully this will be a traditional dance performed by young people with no shame not to swallow time and to uphold our country's name dipersada world.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

PIRING



The Piring or plate dance is performed to show off the skill of the dancers in holding and balancing saucers in their hands while executing fast movements that include rolling, squatting, walking on plates placed on the floor while manipulating the hand-held plates.
The dance is said to have originated from Minangkabau in Sumatra where it developed until the era of the Sri Vijayan Empire.



The Piring Dance was introduced to the Malay states after the fall of the Sri Vijayan government to the Majapahit Empire.
Often at the end of a piring dance performance, plates are smashed on the floor and dancers actually dance and jump on the broken pieces of porcelain without hurting themselves.
There is definitely an element of a trance-like state that the dancers work themselves into in order to perform this last section.








DABUS

Dabus dance is another dance that has the elements of trance like the kuda kepang and barongan. It is believed to have been created as form of a pasttime during the time of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. and his friends, Saidina Abu Bakar, Saidina Omar, Saidina Osman and Saidina Ali. It is possible that this dance was used to train the soldiers during the wars with the enemies of Islam. The warriors were said to perform this dance to show their bravery, frighten their enemies and to spread the word of God.
Tt was brought to Malaysia via Sumatera by traders and evangelists in the 18th Century. The Dabus is popular in certain states in Peninsular Malaysia especially in Perak wher it is believed to have been first performed in Pasir Panjang, Sitiawan.
It is believed that this dance has the power to heal, medicate and to prevent the spread of disease. However this belief has diminished slightly and this dance has undergone the inevitable changes.
This dance combines three traditional arts; singing, dancing and the ability and the bravery of the dancers in using sharp equipment called the ‘anak dabus’ (a sharp equipment with a small bells at the top). In the original form of this dance, the dancers actually stab themselves with the 'anak dabus' and stones were hurled at them without causing any injuries.





CANDLE DANCE

The dance is usually performed by ladies.
It originated from Sumatra and portrays the tale of a beautiful maiden who was left behind by her suitor, who went in search of wealth. During the absence of her suitor, the unfortunate maiden lost her engagement ring and was extremely saddened. It is said that the poor lovelorn maiden searched for the lost ring till the dark hours with the aid of a candle placed on the plate.
The movements of her body, especially the swaying, bending and kneeling were so beautiful that a dance was inspired and created. Sometimes a variation of this dance is also performed using rings on the fingers that tap a certain rhythm on the hand-held plates. 


 

PORTUGUESE DANCE


Portuguese Dance

The history of Portuguese dance can be traced to the arrival of the merchants and soldiers in the 16th Century. The port of Malacca was crucial in the time of seafaring merchants, the spice trade and the silk trade. Many of the descendants of these merchants continue to live in Malacca retaining plenty of their own culture – food, religion, attire while simultaneously merging their some of their culture with those of the locals. The Portuguese settlements are still popular and inhabited by those with names like D Cruz, Lopez etc! Two of the most popular dances are the Branyo and Farapeirra.
The Branyo Dance is mainly favoured by the older generation of the Portuguese descendants. The male dancers wear Western-like costume while the female dancers wear baju kebaya and batik (sarongMusical instruments used are only rebana and violin. The beat and rhythm of the dance is similar to 'joget' (the Malay dance arts).
Meanwhile, Farapeira is for the youngsters. The dance is very cheerful and this resembles the cheerful life of the youngsters. It is performed by couples dressed in the costume of the traditional Portuguese descendants of Malacca. Modern musical instruments such as guitars and tambourines are used to make fast beats and rhythm.

                                                               portuguese dance

NGAJAT IBAN

The origin of this indigenous dance is not clearly known but it is believed to have been in existence along with the Iban tribe since the 16th Century. The Ngajat dance is believed to have been performed by warriors on their return from battles. This dance is now performed to celebrate the most important harvest festival called ‘Gawai’, to welcome important guests to the longhouses and so on.
The male dancers wear large feathers as part of their headgear, hold an ornate and long shield in their hand with chains, beads and a loincloth called the ‘cawat’. The female dancers have an elaborate headdress, chains, beads and a ‘dress’ that reaches to below their knees with intricate weaving. Traditionally this dance was only performed by male dancers but not anymore.
The dance is arranged straight lines and in a circle and does involve dramatic leaps and jumps performed by the male dancers.
Gongs and other ethnic percussion instruments such as the ‘enkeromong’, ‘bendai’, ‘canang’ and ‘dumbak or ketebong’ provide the music. The musicians may be either male or female.






ENDANG DANCE

Endang is a modern Malay dance that has the influence of Sumatra and practiced by the Minang community of Negeri Sembilan, as seen movements, costumes and music.
The dance movements depict the daily activity of villagers such as plucking leaves and wiping sweat from the brow. The dance often begins with dancers seated in a long line performing arms movements that slowly increases in tempo.
Sometimes the dancers hold traditional tambourines and make sounds with them while dancing. In Malaysia, this dance is performed to the song Din Din Barindin and present choreographers have developed it considerably.












Friday, January 28, 2011

The Kadazans are an ethnic group indigenous to the state of Sabah in Malaysian.They are found mainly on the west coast of Sabah, the surrounding locales, and various locations in the interior. Due to similarities in culture and language with the Dusun ethnic group, and also because of other political initiatives, a new unified term called "Kadazan-dusun" was created. Collectively, they form the largest ethnic group in Sabah.


Music and Dance

The Kadazans have also developed their own unique dance and music. Sumazau is the name of the dance between a male and female, performed by couples as well as groups of couples, which is usually accompanied by a symphony of handcrafted bronze gongs that are individually called 'tagung'. The sompoton is another musical instrument. A ceremonial ring of cloth sash is worn by both male and female. The Sumazau  and gong accompaniment is typically performed during joyous ceremonies and occasions, the most common of which being wedding feasts.
The Kadazan have a musical heritage consisting of various types of tagung-ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbed gongs which act as drone without any accompanying melodic instrument. They also use kulintangan ensembles with an horizontal-type melodic instrument.

KADAZAN DANCE

Classical Indian dance

Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. The criteria for being considered as classical is the style's adherence to the guidelines laid down in Natyashastra by the sage Bharata Muni,which explains the Indian art of acting.Acting or natya  is a broad concept which encompasses both drama and dance.Plus Bahngra And Gidha Is The Most Famous Dace In India.Bhangra is a act like a Chak Chrok (chak-chrook)which is a type of a famous dance
 Indian classical dance is a misnomer, as actually dance refers to natya, the sacred Hindu musical theatre styles. Its theory can be traced back to the Natya shastra of Bharata Muni  of The  Sangeet Natak Akademi currently confers classical status on eight "dance" forms: Those who worship Vishnu are considered Vaishnavas. The dance style performed by Sri Krishna and the  gopis in Vrindavan is called rasa-lila, and is considered as a form of devotional dance. Many other Indian classical dances are used to illustrate events from the Puranas related to or describing Vishnu.

INDIAN DANCE

 Dance in India covers a wide range of dance and dance theatre forms, from the ancient classical or temple dance to folk and modern styles.
Three best-known hindu deities, Shiva, Kali and Krishna, are typically represented dancing. There are hundreds of Indian folk dances such as Bharata Natyam,Bhangra,Bihu,Ghumura Dance,Sambalpuri,Chhau and Garba and special dances observed in regional festivals. India offers a number of classical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. The presentation of Indian dance styles in film,Hindi cinema, has exposed the range of dance in India to a global audience.

                                                                       indian dance
                                                                ZAPIN DANCE

zapin

Zapin is a dance form that is popular in Malaysian (especially in the state of Johor) and in Indonesia (Jambi province). It is believed to have been introduced by Arab, Muslim missionaries from the Middle East in the fourteenth century.
In the old days, only males were allowed to perform; nowadays, female dancers are included. It used to be performed exclusively for religious ceremonies but through the years it has become a form of traditional entertainment, hence the participation of female dancers are allowed.
The dancers usually perform in pairs and are accompanied by a traditional music ensemble normally consists of the gambus,accordion,rebab,marwas (bongos), rebana (drum) and dok.
There are numerous types of zapin, and each type varies by the movement and style of dance:
  • Zapin Melayu Johor
  • Zapin Pulau
  • Zapin Tenglu
  • Zapin Tenglu 2
  • Zapin Lenga
  • Zapin Pekajang
  • Zapin Arab
  • Zapin Jambi
  • Zapin Singapura

Music and instruments

Lion Dance is performed accompanied by the music of beating of drums,cymbals,and gongs instruments synchronise to the lion dance movements and actions. The recent development of an application played on iPhone/iPad/iPod touch to play lion dance instruments has contributed to the evolution of how people can play lion dance music.

Costumes

The lion dance costumes used in these performances can only custom made in speciality craft shops in the rural part China and imported at considerable expense for most foreign countries outside Asia. Funds raised through subscriptions and pledges made by members of local cultural and business societies. For country like Malaysia with a essential population of Chinese origins, local expertise may still available in making the "lion" costumes and music instruments beside importing them from China.

HISTORY

The story goes that once upon a time a monk had a dream in which there were many sorrows and evils plaguing the land. The monk prayed and asked the gods how he could prevent these evils from occurring. The gods told him that a lion would protect them and fight back the evils. The Chinese people had never see a lion before, but had heard stories that the lion was the king of all the other animals, so the monk combined all the lucky or magical animals he could think of and so made a lion.
If you look closely at any lion, you can see a red sash tied on its horn. It is told that the lion got too arrogant and told the gods that he was more powerful than all of them combined. This of course caused the gods to get very angry, so as a punishment they chopped off his horn (the source of his power) and told him to fight off a thousand evils without his power. The lion of course couldn't and people were dying because the lion couldn't protect them from the evils. The Goddess of  Mercy (Guan Yin) felt bad for him so she tied his horn back on with a red sash.
Lion dances can be broadly categorised into three styles, Chinese Northern,Chinese Southern,and Taiwanese.The Chinese Northern dance was used as entertainment for the imperial court and elsewhere. The northern lion is usually red, orange and yellow (sometimes with green fur for the female lion), shaggy in appearance, with a golden head. The northern dance is acrobatic and may include dangerous stunts.
The Chinese Southern dance is more symbolic. It is usually performed as a ceremony to scare away evil spirits and to summon luck and fortune. The Chinese southern lion exhibits a wide variety of colour and has a distinctive head with large eyes (of an eagle), a mirror on the forehead (demons are supposedly scared of their own reflection), and a single horn at center of the head (the horn of a unicorn mentioned earlier). Lion dance costumes are considered to be spiritually protective when used as they are traditionally blessed before usage.
The Taiwanese dance integrates with martial arts. The focus on martial arts is very different from the Chinese southern dance whose fancy style is more suitable for circuit shows. In addition to dance steps, the differences between the Taiwanese and the Chinese Southern dances lie in the lion appearance and music. Unlike the Chinese Southern lion whose eyes and mouth can be moved, the Taiwanese lion is less elaborate and can be roughly divided into two categories: open-mouth lion and closed-mouth lion.

LION DANCE

Lion dance (simplified Chinese,traditional Chinese,pinyin) is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture,in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is often mistaken as dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is operated by two people, while a dragon needs many people. Also, in a lion dance, the performers' faces are covered, since they are inside the lion. In a dragon dance, the performers can be seen since the dragon is held upon poles. Basic lion dance fundamental movements can be found in most Chinese martial arts .
                                                                      LION DANCE

IINTRODUCTION

Music and Dance in Malaysia
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multicultural country that features people of different religion, country and race live in a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere. The eclectic culture of the country is reflected through the Arts and Crafts in Malaysia. Two integral aspects of the culture of Malaysia are the Music and Dance in Malaysia. Both the music and dance of Malaysia have evolved from more basic needs into the spellbinding, complex art forms they are today.
Music in Malaysia was born out of necessity. In order to live comfortably in an age where there was no phone and fax, musical instruments like rebana ubi, or giant drums were used as tools of communication. Music in Malaysia bears the influences of Indonesian, Thai, Portuguese, Filipino and Chinese music. Malaysian traditional music is revolves round the gamelan, which is a stringed instrument from Indonesia with an ethereal, muffled sound. Gamelan is generally accompanied by the lilting, mesmerizing beats of Malaysian drums. Different provinces of the country are inhabited by people from dissimilar cultural backgrounds and musical taste. As the result of this, the music of the country varies from region to region. For example Ghazals from Arabia are popular in Kuala Lumpur and Rongeng and on the other hand a kind of folk music, is preferred in Malacca. There are also some forms of music, which are popular throughout the country like Zapin music and dance originating from Arabia and Donadang Sayang. Apart from these, Malaysian music has also been considerably influenced by European and American music and therefore Malaysia has witnessed the uprising of numerous pop singers and rock bands in the recent years.
Dance forms in Malaysia are also diverse like the music of country. The country boasts of numerous traditional dance forms. Some of the popular traditional dance forms are Joget, Inang, Silat, Shadow Plays and Datun Julud. Joget is a traditional dance form that is generally accompanied by flute and dance, Inang is a Malay folk dance performed in front of royal guests. Other performing arts include Shadow Plays performed to commemorate special occasions like marriage and birth. Silat is a form of martial art but then, it is also considered as a performing art since it is accompanied by drums and gongs and performed during weddings and other noteworthy occasions. The Datun Julud is another traditional dance form, which enjoys popularity in Sarawak. This form of dance exemplifies the age-old tradition of storytelling in dance and narrates the story of the happiness of a prince when blessed with a grandson.