Ok.. Now I'm ready to describe.
Why am i so impressed by the Johor Cultural Extravaganza is because, I've never seen such a fine, amazing, full of energy choreography of malay dance in Singapore. And all was focus on tarian Zapin.
That's one reason.
I'm sorry to say this, but, the tarian here, like those concert Hari Raya that we had for the past few years, or whatever tarian performance we've seen on stage, in school, public, wherever, is nothing compared to JCE! That's another reason.
When the concert started, my eyes was glued to the stage instantly! I was in awe! My mouth was wide open! It was amazing right from the very beginning!!
It wasn't a very grand opening, but it was enough to get my eyes glued. And I somehow managed to say this to Moly in a not so whisperish tone, "Wah! Moly! Cantik nye, Moly!".
Another interesting part was when they dance the slow dance, it was the slowest dance i've ever seen! Although it's slow, but yet, it's not dull, it's interesting! In fact, the dance actually made the audience see that, this is how Lelaki Melayu Terakhir should be. Sopan, tarta-tertib, menunjukkan gaya kemelayuan dan kelelakian dan hormat pada wanita. Just by dancing they can reached out to the audience and tell them whatever i've said earlier. Yang penari perempuan pun lembut aje. Tak leh tahan seh! It was a touching moment for Moly and me. We suddenly feel that we want to stay kat Kampong. Somewhere deep inside, we want to be treated that way. but, oh well....
Jejaka-jejaka yang menari semua pulak tu handsome. Zuraidah said that "actually diorang tak handsome, tapi sebab diorang pakai baju melayu yg buat diorang handsome!". Their faces are like, all the Mats in Singapore, but when they dance, Wow!! And they are all Malaysians! And when they dance, Fuhh! Semangat kemelayuan menyerlah. And mind you, their baju melayu is not really as glamourous as whatever we have in Singapore. Kampong style. Kain Songket, Kain Pelekat, Songkok Tinggi, Baju Telok Blangah (for the men), Baju Kurong (for the ladies). And yet it is pleasing to the eye. Not many glitters or high-heel shoes, or manly black shoes. Bare foot.
What i'm trying to say is that, if you observe, you can actually differentiate which is the one dancing for the love of culture and be proud of it, and which is the one dancing for the sake of performing and at the same time trying to be glamourous. Y'know what i mean?
It was a superb night! It changed my perception towards Malaysian's tarian and Singapore's. I thought Singapore was good. Sriwana, Sriwarisan and all others. But, in fact, there are better people out there, that can actually purely and sincerely dance and blend and respect the culture all at once with the music. You just have to be someone who really love the culture to actually dance very well and beautifully and you need a very talented choreographer to make sure that the dance can and will bring out the message that you are trying to send out to the audience.
Previous entry shows some pictures of the concert, but then again, you have to be there to experience the night. Again, i will say it was a superb night. Thumbs Up! I would give 5 Stars rating. Very Well Done! And if you notice, i didn't say anything about Siti Nurhaliza's appearance. The Tarian alone was awesome.
murne 09:33 p.m.
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