The Swaying Body: Use of the Body in the Malay Dances - Essay Example

Task: The swaying body: Use of the body in the Malay dances The Malay dance was performed, mostly by the people from Malaysia. It incorporated a diverse culture from the peoples of the Peninsular and East Malaysia. In addition to that, it also comprised of the incorporation of the Hindu-Buddhist dance and drama culture. These were practiced in the early royal courts1. The Malay dance is interesting because of the fact that they do incorporate the cultures of other traditions such as Chinese, Japanese and Islamic, thus the creation of the Malay dances and song. This is relevant as it emphasizes who they are and they also get a chance to portray their tradition and customs through dance. Matusky and Sooi (2004) studied the Malaysian dance and commented that the Malaysian musical traditions were always accompanied with dance or dance drama that did not have any dialogue as its essence was to engage the audience to the set act so that they could derive a meaning out of the performance. This acted as an act that included the attributes of the classical or folk music2. As a result, the dance incorporated the use of the body more so the hands and the feet. Thus through their traditional Malay music, the Malay dancer(s) introduced the use of hands as they swayed their hands from side to side or up and down as a form to express emotion and attachment to the song. Malay classical dance history and characteristics The early Malay dances incorporated various dance forms such as mak yong, mek mulung and manohra and these were practiced often in the courts thus their origination. The mak yong comprised of a much dramatized dance act that depicted the stories of the princes and princesses. The women who acted as princesses wore royal costumes while the men wore the same costumes and an additional male clown. Their dance was also accompanied by drums, gongs and a serunai. The dance is also related to Puteri, which is an ancient ritual that was believed, that when it was performed by the dancers, it was prone to release supernatural powers and as a result, the kings did not follow much on that, rather they adopted the dance that was related to theatrical performances. This dance involved the simple act of a female and a male at the courts. Manohra also shares some aspects with mak yong such as the dance that consists of the female and the male and it also incorporates more of dance rather than the story that is behind to the dance set being performed. Manohra also served as a traditional and respected ritual and it was also believed to have the aspect of super natural powers. When the dance was performed, it was always accompanied with the serunai, two gedung, two gedumbak, kesi, bamboo or wood clappers and gongs. As of today, there exists only two active manohra groups’ in Malaysia and tey happen to occupy the parts of Kelantan. Mek mulung on the other hand involved a dance drama that depicted a local legend that had happened in the community. As a result this dance also had the same aspects in meaning and body gesture when compared to mak yong and manohra. When the dance was performed, it was always accompanied with the use of the serembong, gong, serunai and ceruk. The oldest surviving Malaysian performance traditions can be dated back to the peoples of the Orang Asli communities of Peninsular Malaysia who are very scarce in numbers in the region. Some of the community sub groups include the Negrito communities that include the Bateq, Jahai, Kensui, Kintak, Lanoh and Mendriq peoples and they are located in the Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Terengganu regions. The Senoi include the Che Wong, Jahut, Mahmeri, Semai, Semoq Beri and Temiar peoples who are located in Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Selangor, and the Proto-Malay peoples incorporate the Jakun, Orang Kanaq, Orang Laut, Orang Seletar, Semelai and Temuan) majoritively in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang. The Orang Asli performances involved the incorporation of music, song and dance and they were preformed mainly at social events such as birth, male initiation, female puberty, courtship, marriage, warfare, a good harvest and death. Their music was accompanied with musical instruments such as flutes that were made from bamboo, bamboo zithers, bamboo stampers, jew's harps, metal mouth harps and the usual Malay instrument, that is the gong3. Some of the characteristics related to this dance include the movements that depict, “heroic princes, swaying trees and aroused elephants”. The dancers also learn how to perfect these transformations so as to clearly depict the true meaning of the dance that they are performing4. In the video posted by Sanjib Duttaon on YouTube, the Malay dancers are seen to dance with their bodies as they sway around the dance stage like swaying trees and they also use their hands in upward, downward and side movements and well as their feet to move from one position to another. Conclusion It can be concluded that, song and dance in the Malay performances had many different forms and meaning. This is because they had been derived from different cultures such as Indian, Chinese, Arabic and Javanese traditions. According to Llyn de Danaan (1986), “it can be studied as a purely physical mechanical phenomenon in terms of how gesture operates to relate the human body to gravity, space, earth, and other bodies involved in the same dance performance”. Llyn de Danaan added that, “dance gesture as an expression of the poetic or dream part of the human mind, functioning as a vehicle of communication between the beholder and the gods, carrying a more or less unconscious message enveloped in a veil of metaphor and allusion”5. It can be concluded that, the Malay dance is a rich subsequent of other dance genres thus it becomes very involving for the dancer to portray emotion and attachment into the music. This is clearly depicted in the video posted by Sanjib Duttaon on YouTube. Bibliography Sanjib, Dutta. Malaysian dance at Asian Heritage Fair 2009. Web. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6TAnZcbrPk [accessed on 5 May 2013] Dari, Disalin. Malaysian Arts-An Overview. Web. Retrieved from: http://silat.8m.com/msianarts.html [accessed on 5 May 2013] Llyn de Danaan, The Blossom Falling: Movement and Allusion in a Malay Dance. Asian Theatre Journal Vol. 3, No. 1, Traditional Asian Play Issue Part II (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1986), 110-117 [accessed on 5 May 2013] Matusky, Patricia A., and Sooi, Beng Tan, The Music of Malaysia: The Classical, Folk and Syncretic Traditions (UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2004), 107 [accessed on 5 May 2013] Read More