Conclusion

Well well well,

here comes to the last posting of this blog.

Reluctant to be apart, but it will not be the last for our journey.

The dances that we performed on Tuesday can't be said as a success,

due to some minor mistakes during the performance.

However, we did enjoying while we were performing,

and the students did enjoying while they were watching the performance.

We met problems throughout the preparations.

1. Lack of the place that can assemble all of us and allow us to practice.

    -- There are 9 of us, which 8 girls are staying in Rajawali while the only one boy, Faris, is not. The girls can easily gather to one and another's hostel to undergo practice, given that it is a quiet condition to avoid disturbing their housemates' revise. However, we can't really practise in the presence of Faris. 

2. Different of us, different learning progress.

    -- The choreographer was facing difficulties in choreographing because some of the steps were to say as a "mission impossible". The steps had been simplified but the significant postures of each dances were still kept.

"Positive Attitude may not solve every Problem but it makes Solving any Problem a more Pleasant Experience."

We solved the problems, by

- increasing the frequency of practising to every day.

- sending video that clarify the new steps they had learned

- teaching Faris personally

Last but not least,

WE MADE IT!!!

Learning the beauty of the dance of the cultures, Malay, Chinese and Indian.

Building the strong fellowship and bond within the members, doesn't matter which cultures do we from, Malay, Chinese or Indian.

Connecting the peace and love to the daily life, between different cultures in Malaysia.

Great job had been done.

Not because of the perfect performance,

but the knowledge and understanding that we earned before, during and after the event.

As the leader of Team Asam Laksa,

I, Lim Zhi Xin, wish to express the most sincere gratitude and appreciation to

Fong Pei Jun, Chow Joo Yan, See Cai Xia, Chooi Siok Yan, Chong Wenly, Chok Jia Tien, Anusha Subramaniam and Faris Zarif, for contributing the best cooperation throughout the whole event.

And also Mr Irwan,

for guiding us by providing clues and resources in order to achieve perfection. 

Team Asam Laksa in position!!!

Enjoy the Video!!

Preparation for the Performance!!

Our performance is CULTURAL DANCE which is including tarian Zapin by Malay, fan dance"Shan Zi Wu"by Chinese and Indian dance.

Basically all the dance steps are created by our group leader for this time ,Miss Lim Zhi Xin.

Our dance songs are :

1. Shou zhang Xin by DING DANG (China female singer )

2. Ya salam 

3. Jai Ho 

Everyone is getting nervous and being prepared for this performance.

Some of us borrow traditional costumes from friends of different races such as baju kurung and baju kebaya.

~First practice

19 October 2015 (Monday) was our first practice.The first dance we practised is Tarian Zapin.Our practice lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes.We practised at dance studio in Canadian Pre University building.

Zapin dance actually is more difficult than what we actually thought.It involves a lot dance steps.So, it takes some time to memorize all of these.

Tonight (20th Oct)ll be the second time to practice our dance.We will practice in one of our group members' unit.

We planned to practice the second dance which is Indian dance.

Hope all of us manage to memorize all the dance steps and perform it well next week.

GOOD LUCK !!!

Importance Of Preserving Cultural Dances

Dance is a performance art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement. This movement has aesthetic and symbolic value, and is acknowledged as dance by performers and observers within a particular culture. 

Dance is humanity's oldest expression. Dance is a living art, a true indicator of the health of a culture. Dance is a form of cultural expression. It reinforces and transmits cultural traditions and values.

Cultural dances are so precious to many civilizations, as they often contain pieces of their history and livelihood that would otherwise be lost. Dance is a common language that unites us all on same level.

Dance is a popular cultural form in Malaysia. Each ethnic group has its own dance forms which characterizes its culture. Malaysian dances are often performed in festive celebrations, wedding parties, cultural shows, religious ceremonies or other public events. 

Besides, dance is a way of expressing our culture. Traditional dances is an identity a culture. Traditional dances are like the mirror of a culture. Cultural dances help to identify ourselves as well as our community in a better way. They are like our treasures. They give us something to be proud of.

Traditional dances is also a mean of recording our culture for future generations. Traditional dances are about the history of our culture. Every cultural dance is unique and should be preserved.  

Cultural dances are beautiful. Let us work together to preserve the beauty of cultural dances.

Malay Zapin dance

                                                                                   Chinese Fan dance

Indian dance

Types of Cultural dances for Malay(Zapin), Chinese(Fan Dance) and Indian(Indian dance)

Types of Cultural dances for Malay(Zapin), Chinese(Fan Dance) and Indian(Indian dance)

 

Type of Zapin Dances

Zapin dance is very popular in a state of Johor. The word zapin means the movement of legs from the word ‘al-Zafn’. Zapin is a Malay traditional dance that originally adapted from traditional culture of Arab-Parsi. It is most influenced by zapin Arab, but it has some characteristics that make zapin Melayu dance differ with zapin Arab dance. Based on the old history, Zapin dance was started as entertainment dance in a castle that brought by Hadramaut, Yaman Selatan in a century of 13. Basically, many new Malay dances take zapin dance as its basic steps. Nowadays, zapin dance was performed in a formal or informal events such as wedding ceremony, grand opening event and so on.

Basically, there are various types of zapin dance in Malaysia. It was different in name and type because the creator of it is originally from different district in Johor. Below is the list of zapin dances that are still exist and popular :

- Zapin Johor

- Zapin Pekajang

- Zapin Tenglu

- Zapin Pekan

- Zapin Lenga

- Zapin Tenglu 

All these types of zapin dances have their own steps, but still followed the characteristic that needed in zapin dance. It must be performed in a group of more than two persons and cannot be performed individually.

Zapin Johor

Zapin Pekajang

Chinese Fan Dance

Chinese Fan Dance the Chinese fan dance is performed in celebration of Chinese culture. It represents beauty, grace and delicacy, according to the Chinese Educational Development Project. It also expresses feelings of joy. The dance is composed of consistently changing rhythms paired with
consistency changing body positions.

The fans are used to highlight the graceful movements of the dancers and as extensions of very delicate poses. They can be used as a sort of prop, representing a basket of food, a gift or a found treasure. The fans are made of a variety of materials including feathers, paper or bamboo and they reflect the highest level of craftsmanship and artistry.

Chinese dance was divided into either civilian or military dance and their movements can vary based upon the classification. Civilian fan dances tend to be more flowing and detailed, celebrating grace and beauty. They derived from early dances celebrating the distribution of the food gathered from hunting and fishing; people would dance holding feathered banners. The military dancing was done with weapons, in coordinated group movements. This evolved into the movements used in military exercises.

Civilian Fan Dance

Rose Dance

Indian Dance

With their sheer intricacies the different types of Indian dances bring out the innermost feelings and emotion whilst depicting the cultural aspects of the age-old civilization of India. Based on the style, dash, intricacies, Indian dance can be broadly classified into four types like, Classical Indian dance, Indian Folk dance, Tribal dance and the fusion dance.

Indian Classical Dances

 Indian Classical dance is also known as the traditional Indian dance which has abundant forms and takes human figure as its basic medium of expressions. Dance performed inside the temple chamber, imperial courts along with music are classified as classical dance. The foundation of the conventions and methodical movements and types of this dance lies in an ancient book of dance, music and drama called Natyashastra. The major Indian classical dances are Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Manipuri, Odissi and Sattriya. The Indian classical dance style is unique in terms of movement, grace, style and ‚lan.

Indian Folk Dance

Indian Folk dances have originated with a view to be a creation of different socio-economic set up and traditions. Indian folk as well as tribal dances are simple and performed to express joy and performed to celebrate a season, festivals and so on. Its simplicity is shown by its less movement and uncomplicated steps. These types of dances can be categorised into two major categories: folk and tribal dances. There are cultural differences between the two forms; the folk dances are the rural extensions of the larger Indian population for example Bhangra of Punjab and Garba of Gujarat. However, the tribal dances are dances by adivasis, which have a very different culture from the larger Indian population.

Many folk dances are devoted to the presiding God of the specific community. The most appealing element of a folk dance is the requisite outfit for its performance. In Indian Folk Dances the accessories play a vital role, these costumes provide a separate identity to the folk dance. Many a time, folk dances are termed as per the name of the accessory used.

Fusion Dance in India


In the recent era a new dance trend has developed in India. The modern forms of dances are the fusion of the various traditional dance forms. Sometimes, dances are composed in artistic forms with old songs and sometimes remixed music for choreographed dance. Salsa and ballet troupes are eventually becoming popular trends in the domain of dance. These days film dance has also carved a niche for itself in the domain of dance in modern India. This is a mixture of classical and folk dance, which has given birth to a semi-classical form. Film dances are a vital element in most Indian films for entertaining the audience.

With a prolific tradition Indian dance takes human figure as its basic mechanism of expression. Indian dance amidst its expression and poise therefore reflects the deep philosophy and the religious mood of India to a great extent. The lure for Indian dance over the globe indicates the deep-felt need to utilize the human body to communicate and revere the worldwide truths. The finest preface to India's rich culture and civilization is its expression of dance.

History and Background of Cultural Dances (Malay,Chinese and Indian)

ZAPIN

 A Malay dance formed that is popular in Malaysia especially in the state of Johor, Pahang and Selangor ). 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 for religious ceremonies but it has become a form pf traditional entertainment,hence the participation of female dancers is allowed. The dancers usually perform in pairs and are accompanied by a traditional music ensemble which normally consists of gambus, accordion, rebab, maraws, rebana and dok.

                                 

FAN DANCE

Chinese Fan dances start out as ceremonial rituals whereas the dance moves haven't changed, the dance uses has. Fan dances represent beauty, grace, skill, tradition, delicacy and history. They also express feelings of joy and fans are recognized as good luck charms and expressions of generosity. Even all these years, fan dances are still used at ceremonies and Chinese celebrations (such as MoonCake Festival, Chinese New Year). Now, it even transformed into unique modern workouts. Fan dance consists constant changing of rhythms and body positions. The feather fans and silk fans are used in the dance that began since the Han Dynasty, c. 206 BC.

                               

INDIAN DANCE

The Indian dances are broadly divided into Classical dances and folk dances. The Classical dances of India are usually spiritual in content. Though the folk dances of India are also spiritual and religious in content but the main force behind the folk dances of India is the celebratory mood. Dances are a form of coherent expression of human feelings. Like the Indian culture, Indian classical dances are equally diverse in nature. There are numerous classical dance forms in India and innumerable folk dances. Each dance form can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people 

The most popular classical dance styles of India are Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kathakali and Mohiniattam of Kerala, Odissi of Orissa, Kathak of Uttar Pradesh, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh and Manipuri of Manipur.

                        

                        INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE (BHARATANATYAM)

                        

                                       INDIAN FOLK DANCE (GARBA)

Introduction

Yo what's up, this is group Asam Laksa in the house!!!

Malaysia is known throughout the world for its multi-cultures society. It has proven to be attractive to people from everywhere. As house to multiple ethnic groups, many countries regard Malaysia as the great example of peaceful co-existence regardless of race and creed. At the end of the day, you'd be hard pressed to find another country that can offer you the same heady mix of colours, culture, food, festivities and inspiration as the ones you'd find in Malaysia.

Multiculturalism in Malaysia: Iban, Indian, Malay, Chinese, Kadazan. (from left to right)

All the ethnic groups in Malaysia co-exist in harmony and enrich the country's cultural lifestyle. Malaysia consists of a collective blend of food, traditions, clothing and customs. Local cuisines can range from hot and spicy Indian and exotic Mediterranean to Western and popular Chinese dishes.

The multiculturalism has not only made a gastronomically paradise, it's also made Malaysia home to hundreds of colourful festivities. Malaysians love celebrating, and socializing too in fact, where their laid back, warm and friendly mannerisms make them as approachable as you can imagine.

So, let's get to the point , our group is doing about cultural dances in Malaysia. Dance is a popular cultural form in Malaysia too. Each ethnic group has its own dance forms which characterizes its culture. Malaysian dances can be identified with certain regions or religious practices which are often performed in festive celebrations, wedding parties, cultural shows, religious ceremonies or other public events. 

Geographically, Malaysia is as diverse as its culture. Cool hideaways can be found in the highlands, while those who have a sunnier disposition will be able to kick back and chill at warm, sandy beaches and rich, humid mangroves.

Malaysia is a multi-racial nation. There's many races in Malaysia, 3 of them were considered as the main races in Malaysia. They are Malay, Chinese and Indian. Each group has different cultures and different art, yet still they are able to live harmony in one place. Malay is recognised as the largest ethnic group in Malaysia due to its population, Chinese is the second largest whereas Indian is the smallest of the three main ethnic groups.

Below are the dances of the 3 major racial groups in our country that we plan to include in our group project.

For the Malay culture we plan on doing Tarian Zapin, the Fan Dance for the Chinese culture and also an Indian dance. We will be incorporating all the elements of each dance into a whole mega component. We will be choreographing our own dance with the help of each of our multicultural members, we plan on fully understanding the uniqueness of each dance and try to do our best in this project. 

Tarian Zapin

Chinese Fan Dance

Indian Dance

STAY TUNE!!!