FUSE#2

Element#2
BAHASA KOREOGRAFI
Malay, Malay Dance:
Three Dimensions
The four young choreographers participating in ELEMENT#2 follow the
complexity of interpreting Malay(ness) pertaining to their respective
cultural contexts in Southeast Asia: Soultari Amin Farid and Norhaizad
Adam are from Singapore, Mohd Fauzi bin Aminudin from Kuala Lumpur
and Ayu Permata Sari yang asal Lampung tetapi menetap di Yogyakarta
selama tujuh tahun terakhir.
Their various constellations can be described as such:
(PRACTICE OF) SILAT DUDUK:
INVESTIGATING MALAY(NESS)
In Singapore, the Malays are a minority race within the population
(vis-a-vis those of Chinese descent who make up the majority), whilst it
is the reverse in Malaysia (the Malays as majority, the Chinese and
Indians are minorities). In these two countries, the word ‘Malay’ refers to
racial identity - with all the consequences of the discriminatory policies
from the state embedded with it. Meanwhile in Indonesia, ‘Malay’ simply
refers to one of its hundreds of ethnicities - not at all a racial identity,
although indeed, it is categorised within the problematic category - the
pribumi.
by Helly Minarti
https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202
In geographical terms, ‘Malay’ in Indonesia refers to the provinces of
Riau, Riau islands and North Sumatra (the Deli part, not other parts
inhabited by the Batak), as the main original locations for the Malays.
But as researched by many scholars (among them Julianti Parani), the
Malays in Indonesia is also spread out in other islands, such as coastal
Kalimatan, Sulawesi, and up to the Molucca archipelago. However,
although the Malays constitutes a minority group, it has a unique place
within the Indonesia's cultural landscape, since the Malay language
(Bahasa Melayu) is the basis for Bahasa Indonesia, the national
language of Indonesia today. Given that the Javanese (with its varied
localities) is the majority group in Indonesia, the adoption of the
language of a small minority proved to be a strategy that prevented
internal conflict, than if Indonesia had made Javanese, the language of
its majority group, the national language instead.
In the two-day workshop, Benny used Minangkabau as an
example to highlight the cultural differences within the
spectrum of Malay groups in Indonesia. (In the context of
Minangkabau dance culture, Malay dance is perceived as
something imported and was only popular in the big cities
back in the 1960s.)
Similarly, Alfian’s lecture on Malay Identity provided a historical
flash back in Singaporean theatre, citing examples of what
was banned, what was perceied as 'kurang ajar' or
obnoxious. This flash back triggered a circle discussion after
the lecture. We discussed issues surrounding the tensions
shaping Malay identity in the arts in Singapore, and how to
articulate effective strategies in navigating politics embedded
in the practice of Malay dance.
The following are the notes from our meetings, conversations
and a series of anecdotes that came up. They help give colour
to what I have discussed above:
Artistic Lineage:
The Bodily Archive and Aspiration to
Discover the Contemporary Body
Tracing one's personal trajectory in a learning process begins
with an awareness and the acceptance that the dancing body
that one inhabits is what one inherits from a certain artistic
lineage, transmitted through a mode of modernity.
In Singapore, this transmission can be community-based
(sanggar in Bahasa Indonesia) or other educational spaces,
such as extra-curricular activities in schools or the university
in the case of Singapore.
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