Malay Dance at Bukit Panjang

Today was the Malay Dance @ Bukit Panjang. We learnt 4 types of Malay dance. Listed in order from slow to fastest, they are:

1. Asli,
2. Inang,
3. Zapin
4. Joget/Rong geng

The introduction of the zapin (Zar-Peen) is called Taqsim (tug-seem). This introduction is by the Gambus, which is a Malay Stringed instrument. It looks like a guitar, but instead of having a flat underside, the underside is concave. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qanbūs The Taqsim can last for 5 to 15 minutes.

The ending of the zapin is called "wind up". At this point, the dancers will yell "wind up". At this point, the music is at its fastest.

The dances were quite interesting. All of them, with the exception of the Zapin, start with the right leg. For the Asli for example,we would move from right to left with different arm movements. The dancing is mainly repeated steps.

However, it was a fun experience. This is the second last BPGHS session. Unfortunately, next Tuesday is POP (Passing Out Parade), so it is likely that I will not get to go for the BPGHS exchange.