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The Kelantan Traditional Dances

Asyik This is a royal court dance of Kelantan. It started at Pattani in 1644 due to the missing of the queen's favourite bird. Her ladies in waiting created this dance to entertain the grieving queen. Asyik also means the beloved / besotted and is believed to have been the name of the lost bird. The dance opens with beautifully costumed maidens sitting gracefully and awaiting the prima donna of the dance. When she arrives, the dance begins with exquisite body movements and gestures.

Mengadap Rebab This opening dance of the traditional theatre performance called Mak Yong is considered to be a court or classical dance due to the nature and performance structure. The very courtly and graceful style, beginning in a seated position, lowered eyeline and finger movements are in keeping with this style. The biggest difference is that here the dancers all face the rebab which is stringed instrument played vertically. The lead dancer also sings a haunting song telling of virtue and respect for nature and life.

Inai Inai Dance was initially a court dance performed mostly during royal wedding festivities, especially during the inai (application of the henna) ceremony. The dance was exclusively performed by the ladiesin-waiting (inang). Like the mak yong, the Inai dance suffered the general fate of neglect and eventually was absorbed into the folk arts tradition. Today, there are three types of inai dance. The dance which still strongly betrays its courtly origin is the mak yong inai dance. It is usually performed in wedding scenes in plays such as Raja Tangkai Hati. The second one is the Perlis inai dance (better known as 'Terinai') which incorporates the use of candles in the dance. The dance still exhibits its former courtly traits in its fine and elegant movements. Unlike Mak Yong, Inai dance which exclusively performed by maidens, the Perlis Inai Dance includes a solitary male dancer within its ensemble. The third type is the Pasir Mas Inai Dance which can be performed by either one or two male dancers. Its movements are quite different from other two Inai Dance, and in probability, this dance did not originate as a court dance. In this dance as performed these days, the dancers do a special backbend and pick up money, using the mouths, that has been given them by the audience

Wau Bulan During the post harvest season in the East Coast of Malaysia, several traditional past times become the order of the day. Such games include top-spinning, kite flying and others. In addition to the flying of the giant kites called wau, a dance has been derived which is aptly called Tarian Wau Bulan. The dance is performed by both male and female dancers who depict the carefree leisure and movement of the flying kite. The dance is inevitably accompanied by the popular song called Wau Bulan. Traditional musical instruments such as the flute, rebab, gendang and others are played to lend music for the song.

The History Of Malay Traditonal Dances Asli This dance is based on the Malay asli songs like Makan Sireh, Gunung Banang and Sapu Tangan, Asli Selendang, Bentan Telani and Asli Abadi. In the Tepak Sireh Dance for example, all the dancers wear Malay costumes and bring the betel leaf sets on the stage while making graceful dance movements to the tune of ASLI beat. These dances are popular all across Malaysia especially in Peninsular Malaysia. The dance features slow, flowing and elegant movements and resembles the Asyik Dance (court dance), but its movements are simpler and danced to a modern music ensemble.

Inang Inang dance is a modernized version of the traditional mak inang folk dance. It is performed at social functions. This dance moves at fast tempo set by the rebana, biola and gendang. The Mak Inang song and dance originated during the period of the Malacca Sultanate. The song is said to have been composed by the order of Sultan Mahmud Shah possibly as a lullaby to help him go to sleep. The dance is very graceful and has all the qualities of a palace performance. This dance is also called Tarian Si Kembang Cina as it has a strong Chinese flavour in the music. Sometimes the dancers hold long scarves during the performance.

Zapin It is believed that Muslim missionaries of the Middle East namely Persia and Arabia introduced the dance to Malaya during the fifteenth century. The dance was originally performed by males only however it is also performed by female dancers these days. The simple version of the Zapin is performed to the rhythm &1234 and the foot is extended out to the side on the last count. It can be done on the spot, traveling forwards and backwards or diagonally in the basic form. The carriage of the dancers is quite erect and dignified. The music for Zapin comes from an ensemble of traditional instruments which include the lute (gambus), gypsy-type bongos (marwas) and the violin. There are no hard and fast rules as to the number of dancers that perform. However because of the very interactive nature of this dance, it is usually performed in pairs. The dancers can then play with each other, teasing, challenging and enjoying each others company. It is most popular in Johor. There are numerous forms of Zapin dances and it varies from state to state. One of the most popular forms and certainly more evolved and intricate is the Zapin Tenglu from the town of

Mersing. Said to be inspired by the ebb and flow of the tide and the lives of fishermen, the dance has many unexpected movements like a rotation of the body from the waist followed by a sudden accented, sharp and held movement of the arms and shoulders. It is said that these movements are derived from the feeling of being tossed around in a fishing boat and having to catch yourself before you are thrown overboard.

Joget The Joget is the most popular traditional dance throughout Malaysia. It is performed at cultural festivals, wedding celebrations and other social functions. The Joget's origin has been traced back and associated with a Portuguese for dance which was introduced to Malacca during the era of the spice trade. The Joget is a couple dance and the tempo is fairly quick with the a feeling of teasing and playing between the partners. In Malacca it is better known as Chakunchak. This possibly refers to the rhythm of the movements of the feet in Joget where there is transference of weight to the beat 1& 2, rather similar to a step ball change in Western dance. This is sometimes called a double step. A simplified version or sometimes referred to as the single step includes the transfer of weight or ball change but with just a tap of the second foot.

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