DAY 1

 

OPENING (9:30-10:00)

Professor Dr. Mohd Nasir Hashim

A Musicologist Professor Dr. Mohd Nasir Hashim is a prominent figure in the University's music arena.  Having served the Faculty of Creative Arts in University of Malaya for 34 years, he is a seasoned musician specialising in Composition, Orchestration and Music Technology.  Upon graduation from the Mara Institute of Technology (UiTM) in Music, Dr. Nasir later obtained his post graduate degrees at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom. Dr. Nasir also studied under the tutelage of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jose Bowen and Dave Brubeck in Orchestra score writing. Dr. Nasir was a guest conductor with many Orchestra in United Kingdom during his study. Apart from conducting, he also writes songs for recording artistes and film soundtracks.  He has composed and arranged numerous scores of various genres for the orchestra. His involvement in Malay traditional music, Western Classic, Jazz, Rock and Multiple type of Orchestra gives in a special edge into these genres.  At present Dr. Nasir is also actively producing scores and CDs for publication by the University of Malaya.  He conducts workshop, camps and lectures across the region, with a hope that music can be performed an appreciated as a discipline as well as for leisure.

 


Keynote address (10:00-11:00)

Keynote Speech: Prof Dr. Mohd Anis Md Nor

Professor Dr. Mohd Anis Md Nor is a retired Professor of Ethnochoreology and Ethnomusicology at the Faculty of Creative Arts, Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Sunway University. He is the Managing Director of Nusantara Performing Arts Research Centre in Kuala Lumpur, a non-profit organization, which awards grants to individual scholars and focuses on research, documentation, and publication of traditional and contemporary performing arts of Southeast Asia. He earned his B.A. Honors from the University of Malaya, M.A. (Dance Ethnology) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and PhD. (Southeast Asia Studies and Musicology) from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Michigan. Professor Dr. Mohd Anis Md Nor has pioneered the study of Zapin dance and music in Southeast Asia and has published widely on the said topic. Although his foremost research area deals with Malay dance and music in Southeast Asia, his current studies are on the interfacing of dance traditions among the Malayo-Polynesian societies in Southeast Asia and Polynesia and the making of new traditions through contemporary performances. He has published more than 20 books, 93 chapters/articles, and 151 keynotes/conference papers on the performing arts of Malaysia and Southeast Asia focusing on music, dance and theater. Professor Dr. Mohd Anis Md Nor is the former Secretary General of World Dance Alliance (WDA Americas, WDA Asia Pacific and WDA Europe); Past Chair of the ICTM Study group on Performing Arts of Southeast Asia (ICTM PASEA) (as a non -governmental organization in formal consultative relations with UNESCO); Past President of World Dance Alliance – Asia Pacific (WDA-AP); National Advisor to MyDance (World Dance Alliance- Asia Pacific Malaysia Chapter); and Artist-in-Residence/Consultant to the Johor Heritage Foundation. He was appointed as the Advisory Committee of the Islamic World Arts Initiative (IWAI) supported by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art for the period of2004-2005. He was the 2007-2008 William Allan Neilson Distinguish Professor of Music, Dance and Theatre at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. USA; and the 2011 Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan sponsored by the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, Center for Southeast Asian Studies and Center for World Performance Studies. He was awarded a European Union Erasmus Mundus Fellowship in 2012 by the European Union to take up the position of a Visiting Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology at Trondheim, Norway, for the 2012-2013 Winter Semester; and was the Program Committee Co-Chair for the 70 th ICTM Anniversary and 44 th ICTM World Conference (2017) in University of Limerick, Ireland.

Engaging Ronggeng Community: Reviving Malay Social Dance and Music Practices in the 21st Century

Ronggeng Melayu is a genre of music and social dance popular in the twentieth century. Between the 1930s and 1940s, Ronggeng was performed extensively on the dance floor (Ronggeng stage) at amusement parks in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, as well as at various social events in urban and rural areas. By the 1950s, Ronggeng music and social dance gave way to newer repertoires and choreographies in Malay films.  Ronggeng began to experience a serious decline in the 1960s and 1970s, when new popular music repertoires and Malay art dances were re-arranged and created from the original Ronggeng Melayu repertoires for cultural performances, distancing participants from the music halls and dance floors to proscenium theaters, almost banishing Ronggeng Melayu from being an extent tradition. As a result, this highly dynamic form of popular music and social dance have dwindled to smaller groups of Ronggeng practitioners in Kedah, Penang, and Melaka to be seen and performed at weddings and closed social events. However, all is not lost. Ronggeng began to see its revival in the 21st century through a Ronggeng investigative research by a group of scholars from Universiti Malaya in 2013-2015 and through the efforts of Nusantara Performing Arts Research Center to revive Ronggeng, supported by CENDANA (Cultural Economy Development Agency) in 2019-2021. The rationale for engaging Ronggeng communitas in the 21st Century is that the social dance and music of Ronggeng Melayu embodies a praxis of indigenous knowledge with the significant potential to contribute to understanding economic, social, and political issues affecting the region at present and in the future.  


Panel 1 

11:00 – 12:30

Chair: Geneviève Gamache

 

Tan Chai Chen

Tan Chai Chen, also known as Kathyn, is a lecturer in the Dance Department of the Faculty of Creative Arts, Universiti Malaya. She received her MFA in Choreography from Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan. She is passionate about dance education and has been active in local dance education fields for more than 15 years. Her works have won awards such as the China-ASEAN Youth Dance Interaction & Competition. Her other qualifications include a Teacher Qualification Certificate Level 1-6 by Chinese Dancers Association of China and a Training Certificate of So-tai Technique by Somatic Education Society of Taiwan.

Title: Understanding the value of creative dance by fostering empathy in the kindergarten community: A community engagement project in Tunas Riang kindergarten, 2018-2019

In Malaysian kindergartens, one of the highlights of the annual school concert is the dance show. To produce the dance show, rehearsals are teacher-oriented: movements are created by teachers and taught through demonstration to the children. In 2008, I was hired as a dance teacher and consultant by Tunas Riang kindergarten to produce annual dance shows. Over a ten-year period, I began to see cracks in teacher-oriented instruction. I began to see that it does not provide children with the opportunity to move and express themselves creatively. In fact, it deprives them of holistic growth opportunities. In 2018 and 2019, I proposed that the kindergarten shift from teacher-oriented instruction to creative dance through a collaboration project. Shifting the method of teaching dance means changing the ethos and culture of a kindergarten community. It was a process which involved communication and discussion with the principal, administrators, teachers and parents about a change in expectations. That is, a discussion about how we value dance and how we work together to produce a dance show. Ultimately, it was a discussion about outcomes: what we all wanted to get out of the process. This presentation discusses how I managed to create an understanding about the value of creative dance by fostering empathy in the kindergarten community. In short, a better understanding of dance at all levels can create healthier learning opportunities for children.

 

Marlenny Deenerwan

Marlenny Deenerwan holds a Phd in Theatre Performance from Monash University, Australia (2016), Master of Arts (2011) and a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Drama (2007) from the Universiti Malaya, and received a Diploma of Creative Writing of the National Arts Academy (currently ASWARA) in 2002. Her research spans the field of Malaysian traditional and rituals theatre. Her recent research focusing on developing interactive theater as an alternative to teaching and learning for young children in rural areas by conducting a field work at SK Pekan Ranau, Sabah. Marlenny has published a book entitled "Bobolian Seni Teater Etnik Dusun", and is currently in the process of producing a book entitled "Tertib dan Masyhur: Estetika Bangsawan Malaysia". An active writer, actor, director and producer in Malaysian theatre scenes, Marlenny is currently serves as the Head of Drama Department in Faculty of Creative Arts, Universiti Malaya. 

 

Title: Interactive theatre: An alternative method of teaching and learning for rural young children

In comparison with children in urban areas, children living in rural areas experience a serious lack of exposure in additional teaching and learning activities to enhance their self-potential. This development affects their opportunity in exploring knowledge comprehensively. The Education Development Master Plan by the Ministry of Education had identified five education gaps that exist in Malaysian education system. Among them are the urban and rural gaps, as well as the gap between student achievement levels. Most of the districts that recorded the lowest performance in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) in Malaysia are located in Sabah and Sarawak. This is the foundation factor to justify why this study was conducted in SK Pekan located in the rural district of Ranau in Sabah. A total of sixty level 1 students were involved in the research which took place since 2017 until 2019.  The Education Development Master Plan by the Ministry of Education had identified five education gaps that exist in Malaysian education system. Among them are the urban and rural gaps, as well as the gap between student achievement levels. Most of the districts that recorded the lowest performance in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) in Malaysia are located in Sabah and Sarawak. This is the foundation factor to justify why this study was conducted in SK Pekan located in the rural district of Ranau in Sabah. A total of sixty level 1 students were involved in the research which took place since 2017 until 2019. The results of this research indicates that interactive theatre activities successfully turn passive children into active participants. In the other development, the inclusion of theatre as part of the school curriculum in most of schools in urban areas in Malaysia has indicates a formal acceptance of the value of theatre as an educational tool. Therefore, this research focuses on using interactive theatre as a tool to develop the teaching and learning strategies for young children in rural areas. Interactive theatre is a form of performance that engages the audience and making them active participants in the show. It brings the audience into the same playing space as the actors and breaking the walls that separate the audience from the actors’ world. Through the method of practice led-research, session of workshops had been conducted leading to a live interactive theatre production.  The results of this research indicates that interactive theatre activities successfully turn passive children into active participants. By getting the children involve in this performance, they shared the stage setting, became characters in the performance, and had the opportunity to change the direction of the play. As they immersed in the performance, unconsciously they had explored their ability on improvising the situation and articulate their opinion, critically and creatively.

 

 

Mumtaz Begum Aboo Backer


Mumtaz Begum Aboo Backer is the Dean of School of the Arts (SOTA), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). She is an “academic-dancer, actor-lecturer” and researcher in the field of performing arts and dance. Her book titled Dancing The Strong Woman in Malaysia (2011) is one of the first in the country to highlight and discuss issues on identity, feminism and the empowerment of women through the field of dance in Malaysia. Trained in Bharatanatyam, Malay traditional dances, contemporary dance techniques and Drama & Theatre, Mumtaz uses movement exploration, drama, role- play and story-telling to engage and reach out to children, students and the communities around her. She has collaborated with leading choreographers, directors, dancers, composers and NGO’s in Malaysia for various artistic activities, workshops and performances. Her research interest focuses on children with special needs, marginalized communities, traditional and modern theatre, dance and gender studies in the arts. She is a strong advocate of “Arts for All” and is actively involved in Art Therapy for children with special needs. Mumtaz Begum is also a Text Book Writer and Editor for the subject of Dance for Sekolah Seni Malaysia (Malaysian secondary Art Schools).

 

Title: Working with children: a researcher’s reflection

Research with children can be very exciting and challenging at the same time especially in the fields of performing arts. I highlight the unexpected roles I played as a researcher in various projects carried out with children from diverse background and abilities in Penang, Malaysia. The paper looks at two parts; the first, describes my experiences as a researcher in terms of organizing, conducting, planning and improvising on the spot as the pre-arranged plans had to be re-worked due to the unexpected reaction and response received from the children. The second part of the paper reflects on methodological dilemmas and challenges as well as ethical issues related to informed consent, confidentiality, protection and interactions in childhood settings. The projects dealing with children use theatrical approaches mainly, with an inclusion of survey questionnaires and focus group interviews. The research produced interesting findings; children are responsive towards theatrical approaches, children communicate in different ways to express themselves, the theatrical approaches created a creative space for children to tell their stories and perspectives. The projects are built on the conviction that children hold their own views and perspectives, they have competencies and the right to be heard, and they are able to speak for themselves if the appropriate methods are used. In addition, as a researcher working with children, one must always be flexible and spontaneous whilst observing all ethical procedures concerning privacy and confidentiality of the children.

 


Panel 2 

13:30 – 15:00

Chair: Wong Kwan Yie

 

Shahnaz Mohd Baldev Shah

Dr Shahnaz Binti Mohd Baldev Shah is an alumnus of the Cultural Centre, University of Malaya with a background in dance and drama. Her research at the postgraduate level concentrated on the use of drama and performance for the second (English) language classroom which identified its related set of challenges and possibilities. Dr Shahnaz further obtained a PhD in Theatre Studies from the University of Warwick in which her thesis examined the nature of MAKUM Theatre Festival as a form of university theatre modelled by the Creative Campus. One of the aims of this endeavor was to document theatre as conceptualized and fashioned by the general division of arts and non-arts students. Dr Shahnaz thus engages in arts (theatre) management and drama for education at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and currently serves as Postgraduate Program Coordinator. She is highly invested in the application of online platforms such as social media and video-sharing sites as means for artistic-performative engagement and encourages creative, innovative advancement for theatre as created for the performing arts.

Title: Community Engagement in the Virtual Platform: TikTok as Interpreted Artistic-Cultural Medium

This paper deals with the nature of community engagement within a virtual platform (i.e., TikTok) between content creators and audience members (viewers and commenters) as they engage in artistic-cultural contents in the form of short video clips. The study focuses on a group of drama undergraduates at the University of Malaya who undertook a drama management course during the Semester II, 2020/2021 Session. The students were tasked to create (performing) arts-based contents for their course project which was formally assessed. This resulted in the formation of an official TikTok account which served as medium to achieve this objective. TikTok was selected due to the students’ familiarity with the social network as well as the factor of ease of use and length of clips to upload. The study seeks to analyze the participants’ presentation and interpretation of arts and culture through a content analysis of the video uploads. A further aim is to examine the interactions between the TikTok participants in order to identify artistic and cultural features that are both favored and not favored among the online community members which would signal current trends in relation to the arts and culture. This is achieved through a thematic- qualitative analysis of the written commentaries which will be supported by a quantitative analysis of the data in the form of numbers of views, likes, and shares. The study is beneficial in that it provides findings and discoveries on critical aspects that indicate preferred and non-preferred elements of arts and culture among the audience and makers of those artistic-cultural contents. This points to a more effective likelihood in which the arts and culture may better appeal to the market or community which is made up of varied demographical facets with TikTok as medium.

 

Wang I Ta, Yi-Li Chang, and Lee Feng Hsu

Dr. Wang I Ta started his piano study at the age of ten and received his formal training in the National Taiwan Normal University (BA), Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University (MM), and University of Minnesota (DMA).  He was the recipient of the Rising Star Award of National Concert Hall in Taiwan 2008, Hutchinson Scholarship, and Rosenberg Scholarship. He was the winner of the Schubert Club Music Competition, the Walnut Hill Concerto Competition, and the Eleanor Bell Watson Competition. As a soloist, he has collaborated with the KLPAC Orchestra, Camerata Youth Orchestra, UM Symphony Orchestra, Hunan Symphony Orchestra and Longwood Symphony Orchestra, etc.  He is currently the Head of the Music Department and a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Malaya. As an educator and researcher, his main focus is in piano performance, pedagogy, and mindfulness through music.

Feng-Hsu Lee, a Taiwanese composer, has received numerous awards, among them, the first prize of the Washington International Competition for Composition (2012), the runner-up of the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute (2010), the second prize in the Literature and Arts Creation Award of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan (2008), the first prize of the Taipei Percussion Composition Competition (2002), the first prize of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra International Composition Competition (2001), etc. Currently he works as a senior lecturer in Department of Music, Faculty of Creative Arts at University of Malaya. He holds the degrees of music composition from The Hartt School (DMA), Eastman School of Music (MM), National Taiwan Normal University (MFA) and Soochow University (BL, Music). For more information, please visit his website: http://fenghsulee.com

 

Dr. Yi-Li Chang is now a senior lecturer in Violin at University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia. She has been recognised by Boston Musical Intelligencer as a violinist with “confident virtuosity, and blend as necessary, adding a rich warmth to the group’s sound”. Yi-Li holds Ph.D. (2014) and M. M (2007) in Violin from National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), and M. M (2015) and Graduate Performance Diploma (2016) in Baroque Violin in Historical Performance from Longy School of Music of Bard College, U.S.A. Besides being soloist and being with many chamber ensemble groups, which she has performed concerts as a violinist, viola da gambist and harpsichordist, Yi-Li is also a dedicate educator. Yi-Li has been invited to give lectures at Malaysian Institute of Art (Malaysia), Framingham State University, Boston Public Library (USA) as well as National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan). Most recently she gave lecturers “2021 NTNU-UM Online Lecture Series” in April, 2021.

 

Title: Awareness and Implementation of Physical Warm-Up and Mindfulness among Diploma Music Students in Malaysia

Physical warm-up is a much-discussed topic in music pedagogy; mindfulness has been empirically researched in the music performance and practice settings. However, little is known to what extent the young musicians in training have acknowledged and implemented the said approaches in their musical activities. Our school outreach project aims to explore music diploma students’ awareness on the regard and to suggest feasible pedagogical approaches in physical warm- up and mindfulness. The project will be carried out at the Department of Music, Malaysian Institute of Art. A pre-project survey will be conducted among sixty student attendees. The data from the survey will inform the design of workshops to be offered. The project will provide pedagogical insights and new application on the physical warm-up and mindfulness training in music.

 

Muhammad Fairul Azreen Mohd Zahid

Fairul Zahid was a Principal Dancer/Choreographer in ASK Dance Company, LanceCoArts Dance Company (NYC), and also Christina Noel and the Creature (NYC) for several. He is also was a Dance Lecturer in several Local Universities in Malaysia including National Academy of Arts Culture and Heritage and UiTM Faculty of Film Theatre and Animation Puncak Perdana. He has collaborated with several artist local and international. He has produced several full-length and a mix bills performance. He is one of the country’s leading young artist, a prolific and versatile choreographer/dancer working in disciplines of Contemporary, Ballet, Malay Dance, Chinese Classical Dance, and Indian Classical dance. He performed in several festival local and international and also has been awarded in several choreography competitions in Malaysia and other countries. He is currently a Choreographer in Residence at Nusantara Performing Arts Research Center.

Title: The Use of Social Media in Teaching and Learning for Dance Education at Tertiary Level

Online learning emerges as the oft talked constraint among educators, especially in the Tertiary level. Most students are encountering hardships in accessing the internet without hiccups, especially during the movement control order/quarantine/self-isolation due to the ongoing pandemic caused by Covid- 19. However, internet access for the use of social media is easily available and not limited. As a result, teaching and learning techniques focusing on students of higher learning institutions can be done using social media apps such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. The aforementioned social media apps served as a platform to raise interest and increasing attraction in dealing with learning activities in 21st century.

 


Panel 3

15:00 – 16:30

Chair: Farideh Alizadeh

 

Sahar Meshginghalam


I have a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature, a master’s in Dramatic Literature, and I am currently a PhD candidate in Theatre Studies in University of Tehran. My expertise is analysing dramatic literature through which I want to show the ways theatre can break the limits of self-consciousnes, encourage critical thinking and freedom, improve the taste of the spectators, and be a practice for a better world we all deserve. I am working on the aesthetics of critical dramatic literature to find the devices that a writer can use to make the play critical without shouting the message. Art needs contemplation and carrying meaning in the surface is not aesthetically appealing. I believe that the process of discovering meaning can help people be more critical of their surroundings, and take action when needed.

 

Title: Rhetorical Criticism of the plays with a large audience participation

Theatre in general depends on a community of spectators to find its place in society. As it has been discussed through the history of theatre, audience participation cannot be neglected. This has its roots in Erwin Piscator, Bertolt Brecht, and Augusto Boal’s practice. The goal of all of these practitioners has been making audience more active, socially and politically. These works were more in the practical area. In theatre studies, the role of spectators has always been negotiated; however, the way plays work has not been fully analysed to see how they are affecting the community of viewers. There have been many theories supporting the notion that theatre in its core should be used as a tool for boosting awareness in communities. The questions this article wants to answer are: What percentage of the theatre productions with a big number of spectators in Iran did have a social message in recent years? What are the ideological patterns presented in the plays? What characteristics do those play have in common that enable them to act as a strong medium to influence the viewers’ awareness? 

The theory chosen for this paper is Rhetorical Criticism. Rhetorical criticism is a way to analyse texts closely to find out the meaning a specific text wants to publish. The next step is to analyse the structure of the text and examine whether the structural parts are related to the meaning found in the first step and support that message. Finally, the researcher should assess the findings in the first two steps. In this research, the performances which were publicly acclaimed were chosen to be studied based on Rhetorical Criticism to find out what made the plays appealing to the audience, and whether they were effective in terms of social concerns or not. Analysing different plays with a social message has shown that they have some elements in common, e.g. irony, metaphor, defamiliarization and satire, to name a few. Therefore, this paper can give a pattern through which the most affective plays have worked so that these models can be adopted. The next step, which is a suggestion to theatre groups, is making a platform for joining the audience in discussions about the performance they watched, which does not happen in many productions. The benefits of this approach are numerous. The theatre group can get the experience of real-life characters and both the production group and the audience can take a step in gaining awareness about life and social problems, and even try to come up with some solutions. Art can be a great tool for establishing ideas among all groups of people and theatre is definitely one of the strongestart forms because of its connection to the community of audiences.

 

 

Rosdeen Suboh & Arni Syafinaz Ariffin

Dr. Rosdeen Suboh is an experienced academic senior lecturer as a Director (Theater, Documentary, Video, Festival and Carnival), actor (tv drama, film and Theatre), scriptwriter, researcher and speaker, in theoretical and practical aspects of many traditional, modern and contemporary performing arts genres. Three best modern theatres as director staged at Istana Budaya Malaysia : “Tun Fatimah” (2006), “Sri Mersing” (2010) and “Semerah Padi” (2015). The best achievement was awarded as the best male Film actor in 33rd Malaysia Film Festival 2019. Best Lead Actor ANUGERAH SKRIN TV3 2019. Best Lead Actor ASEAN INTERNATIONAL FILEM FESTIVAL AND AWARD (AIFFA) Top five Nominated 2019. In the academic field of study, research covers a variety of aspects Historical and development about Makyung, Jikey, Mek Mulung, bangsawan, Mendu in Southeast Asian (Malaysia, Thailand, cambodia and Indonesia) especially in comic character and humor element.

Mrs Arni Syafinaz is currently attached with Vocational College (Malay: Kolej Vokasional Sungai Buloh), Ministry of Education Malaysia as a lecturer. Graduated from National University of Malaysia (Malay: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia -UKM) with Bachelors degree in Teaching English as A Second Language (TESL). Holds MA in Translation Studies from University of Science Malaysia. 20 years experience of teaching in Secondary School and Vocational College. Done 14 years of emceeing jobs, experienced in handling international and  public relation affairs, moderator, translator  Worked at Technical Vocational Education Training  Division (BPLTV) as Assistant Director TVET Policy Planning Unit. Experienced in handling international TVET strategic planning and partnership (SEAMEO, SEA-TVET, UNICEF, APEC UNESCO). Experienced in handling parliament affairs concerning TVET .

 

Title: Forum Theatre as an alternative education method in teaching and learning development among university students community in Malaysia

This article is a research conducted using Practice-Led research method to provide new insight and knowledge in theatre and education field. This research uses action research model on education and theatre development project with the university students’ community. The main aim of this research is to contribute knowledge in theatre (hard skill and soft skill) in the education field as a new alternative to the existing concept of teaching and learning process particularly in Malaysia. This research is conducted onto students’ community in Kuala Lumpur (UNIKL). The scripts chosen as the story base for this research are Alang Rentak seribu, Menuju Utara and Tok Perak written by Syed Alwi. The students’ community in Kuala Lumpur (UNIKL) are chosen due to the main factor that they don’t have basic knowledge in theatre and the subjects offered in the university are not pertaining to performing arts particularly theatre. The chosen scripts are selected due to the renowned facts that they are among the greatest masterpieces by Syed Alwi, in which these stories portray clear storyline with good moral values and realistic characters and characterization. The data from this project are collected using observation method and participation in production works (artistic and management). The data are then analysed focuses on the most important aspect on theatre forum that is spect-actor during rehearsal and performance. The findings and the discussion of the research in this article are based on the two major hypotheses namely : 1) The concept of acting based on liminal theory (analysis on the perspective of Malaysian cultures and students’ experiences); 2) the style of Malaysian community forum (analysis on the elements of traditional theatre and ritual performance) . As a conclusion the article proposes a form of knowledge in the field of theatre performance, which is esthetical theatre forum with distinctive genuine characteristics of Malaysian cultures. Also this research proves that forum theatre serves not only as solutions to social problems in the society just like the forum theatre in the West , but it also sparks new ideas that lead to effective teaching and learning process. This is an alternative teaching and learning technique which involves questions and answers, questions and practices, practices and questions, answers and questions, and answers and practices. To summarize it all, this research proves the thinking ability of university students in solving problems concerning studying by building up thinking confidence, based on the proposed 5M concept: ‘menukar’ (change), ‘menyambung’ (connect), ‘memutuskan’ (severe), ‘mencipta’ (invent) and ‘membuang’ (discard).

 

Yi-Li Chang

Dr. Yi-Li Chang is now a senior lecturer in Violin at University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia. She has been recognised by Boston Musical Intelligencer as a violinist with “confident virtuosity, and blend as necessary, adding a rich warmth to the group’s sound”. Yi-Li holds Ph.D. (2014) and M. M (2007) in Violin from National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), and M. M (2015) and Graduate Performance Diploma (2016) in Baroque Violin in Historical Performance from Longy School of Music of Bard College, U.S.A. Besides being soloist and being with many chamber ensemble groups, which she has performed concerts as a violinist, viola da gambist and harpsichordist, Yi-Li is also a dedicate educator. Yi-Li has been invited to give lectures at Malaysian Institute of Art (Malaysia), Framingham State University, Boston Public Library (USA) as well as National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan). Most recently she gave lecturers “2021 NTNU-UM Online Lecture Series” in April, 2021.

 

Title: Flipped out: Innovative Strategies for Improving Engagement of Online Music Ensemble Classes

The issue of online music ensemble classes has always been unsolvable due to the latency and sound quality. Furthermore, being unable to play musical instruments together easily disrupts the concentration of students. This study will show the effectiveness of Flipped teaching (FT) approach and traditional lecture based teaching in a virtual strings workshop with 60 secondary school students. The aim of the study is to attract the attention of ensemble instructors using a new teaching strategy - FT approach to gain better interaction, engagement and greater learning results. A survey and evaluation of music performance outcomes are used to analyse the effectiveness. This paper provides the teaching concept, process and suggestion of a new teaching method. Besides this, innovative outcomes such as podcasts and virtual music concerts also will result an outstanding and surprising potential of the students.

 

 


WORKSHOP

16:45 – 17:30

Moderator: Tan Chai Chen

 

Body -in-Motion Workshop by Maya Dance Theatre (Singapore)

Body -in-Motion Workshop by Maya Dance Theatre (Singapore) Maya Dance Theatre has been working with Active Seniors to craft movement videos with the concept, “Movements For Seniors by Seniors”. It was mainly created to increase functionality of seniors and to increase accessibility beyond the limitations caused by the current Pandemic. Body In-Motion, featuring original music and simple creative movements can be executed whilst comfortably seated. Those who wish to only part take as viewers also have a fair share of entertainment value, as they will be able to catch a glimpse of performances put together by the seniors with the differently abled dancers. 4 to 5 seniors and 4 diversely abled dancers from DADC (Diverse Abilities Dance Collective) to co-create simple movements to music as part of movement exercise programme. We used themes of nature and activities of daily living (ADL) to design the online/web-based programme. Kavitha Krishnan, artistic director and resident choreographer of Maya Dance Theatre has worked on the creation of the movements from her training as an Occupational Therapist (OT). Her vast experience with seniors in her line of work and trainig as a dancer enabled and inspired her to conceptualise this programme with the series of movements. Some of the movements are also drawn from the seniors who part took in this project. Two young local musicians, Raghaveendra Rajasekaran and Jeffrey Tan along with music maestro, Kailin Yong, also known fondly as ‘Fiddler of Peace” have supported us by scoring the original music for the movements and performances put together by the team.

Through these videos, we believe that the participants will benefit with an enhanced physical and mental wellness facilitated through dance and music. The easy to-follow movements from the programme, Body In-Motion team hopes to bring cheer, promote active engagement, while also allowing the care providers to seniors either respite and or co- engagement as they groove along!

Body In-Motion ONLINE programme has 6 different - 12 to 15minutes videos. Participants can follow the simple demonstrations with instructions to engage accordingly either seated or standing. You are able to access the videos from www.mayadancetheatre.org

Workshop Duration: 45minutes (online) Number of Participants: 20 (max)

 

Jaspreet Kaur

Jaspreet is a founding member of Diverse Abilities Dance Collective (DADC) when it first started in 2018. She most recently was a co-choreographer with Eva Tey, and a panel speaker for SEEDS 2021, a new initiative created by Maya Dance Theatre with DADC to bring disability arts to foreground. She also danced in Speaking With Hands, DADC’s first production, working with Liz Lea from Canberra, Australia with the support of Asialink. In 2020, she danced in Saarang Festival 2020 in Chennai, India, while co-leading DADC for an exchange with Down Syndrome Federation of India (DSFI). In 2020, Jaspreet was also involved as the organising committee of Purple Parade, and also represented DADC to perform for President's Challenge 2020. This year Jaspreet was invited by Purple Parade Singapore helmed by Denise Phua, Mayor of Central Community Development Council (CDC), Singapore to be one of the Voice/Ambassadors of Purple Parade Singapore. Jaspreet also co-created the movements for this workshop – Creative Movement for Seniors by Seniors with DADC.

Other than performing, Jaspreet also has 16 years of work experience in a kindergarten, which she applies in her dance classes for children at The Artground and Pathlight as a dance instructor, together with main trainers from Maya Dance Theatre. 

 

Weng Jiaying

Jiaying has been a member of DADC since the middle of 2019. Shortly after joining DADC, her quick absorption of movement allowed her to jump into DADC’s process for Speaking With Hands in November 2019, where she performed in Liz Lea’s new works titled Sunscreen and Moon Shadow. With DADC, she has appeared in a media shoot for Vasantham’s show, Thilaanaa. Most recently, she performed in Red Dot August at Esplanade, dancing in DADC’s first work titled Confluence. Jiaying has also participated in Got To Move events with DADC, co-facilitating dance movement classes for elderly in Sree Narayana Mission Home. She is currently a co-trainer at Pathlight School and also works with Apsara Asia Pte Ltd as an arts administrator. Jia Ying will perform the work – Poetry in Motion, “Moonshadow” with DADC for the upcoming Digital Version of Bold Festival (Canberra, Australia) and in the upcoming dance-storytelling, Sang Nila Utam produced by Apsara Asia Pte Ltd. The work will go online from December 2021. Jia Ying has also been a co-creator for the Creative Movement session that is created by seniors for seniors with DADC.

 

Shaul Hamid Shabirah

Shabirah is 73 years young, semi-retired. She looks at life in positive ways and as she grows older, she enjoys her own company and space and uses her time reflecting on the spiritual side of life, and connecting with her Creator. In this piece, she reminisces on her life journey and the adventures she has gone through since she was a little girl and how it has shaped her to grow her social circle and provide a listening ear to her friends and family whenever they need. Shabirah also known fondly as Shab performed for the first time in Maya Dance Theatre’s recent production, Pancha-Less & Lesser: Season for Life (Doublebill). The digital version of the production will go online from December 2021 and she will also be part-taking in a community outreach talk session that focus on the topic: Graceful Ageing in February 2022. Shaba spiers to be inspiring more women her age to continue pursuing their interests and to live life to the fullest.

 

Kavitha Krishnan


Kavitha Krishnan co-founder and artistic director of Maya Dance Theatre (MDT) has toured internationally with ASEAN contemporary dance production, "Realizing Rama” representing Singapore from 2002 to 2007. A vast experience in Bharathanatyam and keen interest in contemporary dance, Kavitha brings a unique expression to MDT and has collaborated with international artists, creating inter-disciplinary/trans-cultural dance-theatre works with social consciousness, staging the works both locally and beyond. Since 2020, Kavitha with MDT have moved their dance theatre works and community projects to the digital realm to overcome the challenges of the global pandemic situation. In 2018, she founded Diverse Abilities Dance Collective (DADC) for diversely abled dancers to co-exist with professionals. Since their inception, they have created productions like: Speaking with Hands c-choreographed by Liz Lea,choreographer from Canberra, Australia with the support of Asialink Australia and National Arts Council, Singapore. In 2021, DADC created their first dance film- SEEDs to bring awareness towards disability arts and performers. Kavitha has received the Woman of the Heart Award from Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and is currently participating in Singapore International Foundation’s (SIF) Fellowship programme (October 2021 – Feb 2022) that focus on Arts for Good. As a trained occupational therapist, Kavitha values dance as a medium for communication and building connections; she believes, Dance Heals.