Page 53 - deunite_report

DE’ UNITE: SHE 101 – HIMPUNAN LAPORAN TEKNIKAL PROJEK PELAJAR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful Alhamdulillah, all praises to Allah for
the strengths and His blessing in completing this project. Special appreciation goes to our lecturer
Ethnic Relations SHE 101, Dr Isham Shah, for his supervision and constant support. His invaluable help
of constructive comments and suggestions throughout the project have contributed to the success of
this project. We would like to express our appreciation to all coaches in the Gymnastic Club of Maktab
Perguruan Raja Melewar, Seremban for their help to succeed our project. We also grateful and
appreciated all the parents and lecturers for supporting us throughout this project assignment. Last
but not least, thank you to our group members, Felicia, Dhifa, Amir and Fahmi for completing this
project successfully.

1.0 Malaysian Traditional Dances

Dance is a popular cultural form in Malaysia too. Each ethnic group has its own dance forms which
characterizes its culture. Malaysian dances can be identified with certain regions or religious practices
which are often performed in festive celebrations, wedding parties, cultural shows, religious
ceremonies or other public events. Below are the dances of the 3 major racial groups in our country.

1.1 Inang Dance

Another form of the “original” Malay dance is the Inang. Historical accounts state that the word
Inang is derived from the word “Mak Inang”, a nanny or chief lady-in-waiting who is responsible in
looking after the royal children. The Inang song and dance is said to have been composed during the
era of the Malaccan Sultanate, particularly during the rule of Sultan Mahmud Shah (1488-1511). At the
time, the Inang dance was performed in various palace celebrations such as weddings. The Inang beats
and dance movements are faster paced compared to the Asli dance. It portrays the grace and swaying
movement of royal maids and has all the qualities of a palace performance. In olden times, the Inang
dance was performed only by ladies, with very modest movements adhering to the strict palace
customs and protocols. Eventually, the Inang dance evolved from strictly a court dance into a folk dance
enjoyed and performed by all individuals. Nevertheless, its graceful and modest movements have
always remained. Nowadays, it is performed at all social functions and usually by couples of men and
women. Examples of songs with the Inang beat are Seri Langkat, Lenggang Mak Limah and Mak Inang
Pulau Kampai.

Figure 1.1 Inang Dance

48 | D e ’ U n i t e