Everybody loves to dance. Well, almost everybody.
Dance is considered an art. In dancing, you will move your feet, hands, heads, eyes and body rhythmically to the musical melodies. Sometimes you will need to leap, jump, bend or skip to perform a dance art.
There are so many dance genres in the world. Which one do you like the most? And what do you know about the history of dance?
What is the history of dance in Malaysia?
If you like to dance, you may be interested to know about the dance history. Did you know that dance has been a significant element of ceremonies, celebrations, rituals and entertainment even before the birth of the earliest human civilization?
Archaeology has found traces of dance from the 9000-year-old cave painting in India. They also traced paintings that represent dancing figures in Egypt from the third millennia BC.
During the ancient Greek era, dance was regularly used to celebrate their god in long festivities that lasted for a few days. Eventually, the modern dance started to gain popularity during the Renaissance. It was the time where many new dances started to be invented.
There have been debates on which is the oldest form of dance in the world. Some say it is the belly dance and others are convinced that it is the Bharatanatyam, an ancient dance from India. It is difficult to come to the conclusion because dance does not often leave behind clearly identifiable physical artefacts.
So, whether it is the belly dance or Bharatanatyam, we should all appreciate the different genres of dance that ever existed. And if you want to learn either the belly dance or Bharatanatyam, you may check out some outstanding dance classes in Seberang Perai.
What are the traditional dances in Malaysia?
Now that you know the early history of the world. What about Malaysia? What kind of traditional dances are there in Malaysia?
Since Malaysia is a multi-cultural and multi-racial country, you can expect to see different kinds of dance here.
The Malay community has a lot of traditional dances. In fact, each of the 13 states in Malaysia has its unique dances. These are the popular dances for each state in Malaysia.
- Johor - Kuda Kepang
- Terengganu - Ulek Mayang
- Kelantan - Mak Yong
- Perak - Dabus
- Pahang - Tari Piring
- Perlis - Tarian Canggung
- Kedah - Mek Mulung
- Pulau Pinang - Boria
- Melaka - Tarian Portugis
- Negeri Sembilan - Tarian Endang
- Selangor - Tarian Asli Bunga Tanjung
Sabah and Sarawak have unique traditional dances. In Sabah alone, there are about 80 types of traditional dances and each of the dances represent different tribes. Some of the traditional dances in Sabah are Sumazau Dance, Adai-adai Dance, Daling-daling Dance, Limbai Dance, Lansaran Dance, Sumayan Dance and Mongigol.
Ngajat Dance, Koncong Dance and Datun Julud Dance are some of the traditional dances in Sarawak. Ngajat Dance consists of 9 dances which are Ngajat Induk, Ngajat Bebunoh, Ngajat Lesong, Ngajat Semain, Ngajat Bemayah, Ngajat Pua Kumbu, Ngajat Kuta, Ngajat Ngalu Temuai and Ngajat Ngemai Antu pala.
The thing is, the ones listed above are not the only traditional Malay and Bumiputera dances available. There are more. You can get to know these dances in-depth if you join traditional dance classes in Kuala Lumpur.
On the other hand, the Chinese community in Malaysia is popular with their Lion Dance (Tarian Singa), Dragon Dance (Tarian Naga) and the Fan Dance (Tarian Kipas). These are the most popular and common dances for the Chinese community.
However, there are many other dances that are not quite notable by the locals such as Flower Dance (Tarian Bunga), Lotus Dance (Tarian Bunga Teratai), Umbrella Dance (Tarian Payung) and Love Dance (Tarian Cinta Bertemu).
The Indian community has brought in the oldest form of India-originated dance to Malaysia, the Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam is one of the two most popular Indian dances in Malaysia. The other popular Indian dance is called Odissi.
Apart from that, there are many other fascinating Indian dances such as Kathakali, Kathak, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri and Bhangra. Bhangra dance is a traditional Indian dance whereas the rest is considered classical Indian dance.
Malaysian traditional dances are so interesting to be learnt. Check out some dance lessons in Ipoh to learn about them.
What efforts have been done to bring Malaysian traditional dance alive?
Malaysian traditional dances are really captivating. However, it is unfortunate to see that fewer younger generations are interested in learning and preserving our precious heritage. This may be due to objections from the parents, religious conflicts or no access to dance education.
A number of organizations and performance art communities have been working together in order to take Malaysia traditional dances to the centre stage.
Kementerian Pelancongan, Seni dan Budaya or The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) is currently striving to propose Mek Mulung to be recognized by UNESCO.
The government had come up with the idea to develop Kampung Budaya which all the cultural heritage will be preserved and showcased to the public that includes the traditional dances.
Entertainment industries in Malaysia produce dance reality television shows such as Mari Menari and Sehati Berdansa to help spread awareness about the dance genres in Malaysia.
The National Department for Culture and Arts or Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara (JKKN) conducts traditional dance classes in each state and district of Malaysia to give the public easy access to these dances.
If you are interested to learn traditional dance moves, check out the Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara website to find the dance class available in Shah Alam or anywhere near you.
However, Malaysia is not all about traditional dance. There are also other modern dances like Street Dance, Hip Hop, Popping, Dance Choreography, Girl Style, Monkey Dance, Kpop, Waacking, Vogue, Belly Dance and Bollywood Dance.
You can see a lot of dance studios in Petaling Jaya offer hip hop dance classes. Most parents usually send their daughters to dance studios to learn to dance ballet as early as 3 to 4 years old.
Are there any dance courses in Malaysian schools and universities?
When people say you will have no future ahead if you pursue a dancing career, that is not true at all. The future of professional dance is bright. The Malaysian government has allocated thousands of ringgit to build Sekolah Seni Malaysia (SSeM).
Sekolah Seni Malaysia is a formal educational institution. It provides facilities to cultivate the potential and talents of the younger generation to engage in arts and cultural activities. Currently, there are only 5 Sekolah Seni Malaysia available in Johor, Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Sabah.
For tertiary education level, several universities and colleges offer dance courses for students.
Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA) under the Faculty Of Dance provides a Diploma of Dance, Bachelor of Dance (Performance) and Bachelor of Dance (Choreography).
Universiti Malaya offers Bachelor of Dance and Master of Dance under its Faculty of Creative Arts.
Meanwhile, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) focuses on Bachelors of Performing Arts (Dance) and Master of Arts (Dance).
But, to be eligible to go for these dance courses, you need to attend a dance audition and interview. If you are planning to register for these dance courses but are not confident that you can pass the audition, we encourage you to look for a dance tutor in George Town to help you out.
A dance tutor can help you improve your dance moves and build your confidence. He or she may also share basic knowledge of fitness and show you the right way of warm-up exercise to avoid injuries.
How to look for an online dance teacher in Malaysia?
You can search for your dance teacher through tutoring websites such as Superprof. Superprof is one of the best online tutoring platforms where you can look for private instructors for just about any subject.
Why should you choose Superprof to look out for your tutor?
- It has a wide selection of 16 million tutors available for over 1000 subjects.
- The average fee for dance lessons on Superprof is around RM30
- Most of the tutors offer the first one hour lesson FREE!
- You can choose your own tutors according to your preference - location, rate, response rate and level.
- Reliable reviews and recommendations by previous students let you decide which tutor is ideal for you.
- You can choose to go for face-to-face or online lessons with your tutors.
- Searching and booking a class with the chosen tutor is hassle-free!
- Superprof offers the best online tuition Malaysia and worldwide
How to search for a dance tutor on Superprof?
First of all, sign up with Superprof. Next, use the site’s search engine to look for your tutor. Enter your subjects and class location. You can choose either ‘dance classes near me’ for a face-to-face lesson or opt for an online lesson. Then, click on the ‘Find a tutor’ button.
You will be redirected to a page of available tutors. If you have personal preferences such as the rate and response time, use the filters located on the top of the website. Click on each tutors’ profile page to check them out.
Once you have decided which tutor to pick, click the ‘Book a class’ button on the top right of the tutor profile page. Send your preferred tutor a message on your needs, background and availability. Once both of you agree, schedule your lessons and start to learn.
Simple, isn’t it? So, go ahead and look for your dance tutor.
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