GEMA SILAPIN: HYBRIDITY OF DANCE AND MUSIC TRADITIONS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

The Gema Silapin performance staged at the Kuala Lumpur International Arts Festival (KLIAF) on 16 - 17 September 2015 had implications on the Malaysian world of performing arts in which it has lifted the traditional Zapin dance and Silat as the basis of art creation. The performance was a combination of Silat and Zapin rhythms, which were played with a traditional and contemporary choreography. This article discusses the choreographer’s creation on the combination of Zapin dance and Silat which was divided into three segments: Gema Silapin (Zapin), Pahlawanku (Silat) and Pusaran Zapin (a combination of Silat and Zapin). Based on the segments’ formation, the choreographer has combined the Zapin dance movement and Silat as the basis of contemporary creation. In dance, hybridity is the boundary for creating a combination of dance or music forms to produce one performance. Dance in the form of hybridity expands experimentation and innovation as it gives freedom of creation to the choreographer.