By Nurdiyanah R. –
Polite postures accompanied by stilted feet and weak hand gestures of a group of girls in traditional baju kurung who showcased the beauty of the Brunei Asli dance on stage attracted the attention of the audience present at the Finals of the Brunei Asli Dance Competition for Secondary Schools and Colleges as well as the Brunei Ethnic Dance Competition for Compatriot Primary Schools in 2024 at the Multipurpose Hall, Universiti Teknologi Brunei.
With flower decorations on the head and gold ornaments on the waist, as well as fingertips shining with red henna, the performance showcases Brunei’s rich cultural heritage.
While his partner is fully dressed in the Malay way and cross-dressed. Not least, a group of children jumping around patting the shell.
Such is the beauty behind Brunei’s traditional dance that describes the Malay society that is rich in its artistic treasures, as well as the gentleness and finesse of its discipline.
The competition, organized by the Ministry of Education through the Arts and Creativity Division, Department of Co-Curriculum Education (JPKK) in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Royal Malay Muslim Supreme Council, is intended to foster the spirit of love and inculcate noble values in the students as well as appreciate the artistic and cultural heritage of the Bruneian community.
More interestingly, the event was well received, where 11 teams from secondary schools as well as government and private colleges participated in the original dance competition, with five teams making it to the final stage, after being successfully evaluated in the screening stage.
Meanwhile, a total of 29 teams from government and private primary schools took part in the ethnic dance competition, in which five teams also successfully advanced to the final stage.
DIVE INTO THE BEAUTY OF THE ART OF DANCE
When recalling the welcome speech from the Director of JPKK, Ministry of Education, Awang Julaihi bin Mohamad @ Mohamat, in his speech he stated that dance art is not just for entertainment and performance but more than that, it is one of the cultural components that can show the identity, culture and history of a nation for a country.
“Brunei Native Dance and Brunei Ethnic Dance for example, describe the Malay community in this country which is rich in its artistic treasures as well as the gentleness and finesse of its discipline,” he said.
“The movements of these dances are also closely related to the lifestyle and culture of the Brunei community itself. For example, the Adai-Adai Dance gives us an idea of the occupation of the Brunei Malay Tribe in the past, which was fishing. The fun, fatigue and activities of the fishermen are clearly depicted in the dance movements of this dance,” he shared.
Interestingly, if observed, the art of dance is indeed able to describe the personality and character of Bruneians, who firmly adhere to the concept of Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) in community and national life.
Meanwhile, Awang Julaihi in his speech shared that the conduct of the dance competition is also in line with one of JPKK’s strategic initiatives which is the implementation of the Student Identity Program in primary and secondary schools and sixth form centers across the country, in an effort to increase the involvement of students actively in co-curricular activities in order to produce holistic and competent students.
The fact is, the involvement of students in activities like this will definitely provide added value and strengthen the existing academic curriculum through experiential learning.
Basically, this Student Personality Program has four components, namely physical, spiritual, creativity and service. In the Student Personality Program, dance activities are included in the creativity component under the culture sub-component. The department has also recorded as many as 40 schools that offer dance clubs, namely 28 primary schools, 10 secondary schools and two sixth form centres.
“Therefore, in the direction of the future youth and being ready, students need to be provided with creativity skills such as learning the Brunei Asli Dance and the Brunei Ethnic Dance.
With this kind of creative learning, it will directly be able to provide awareness about MIB’s cultural values that need to be nurtured, preserved and maintained in strengthening the character of students,” said Awang Julaihi with sincere hope.
ART LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
The winners of the Final Stage of the Brunei Native Dance Competition for Secondary Schools and Colleges as well as the Brunei Ethnic Dance Competition for Indonesian Primary Schools in 2024 are judged based on judgment in terms of dance movements and rhythm, form of performance, tempo, determination and the appropriateness of the theme, discipline and manners, as well as clothing.
For the original dance competition, the winner of the competition was Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Middle School followed by Sufri Bolkiah Middle School in second place and Raja Isteri Women’s High School in third place.
While for the ethnic dance competition, the winner of the competition was Sultan Hashim Primary School, Batu Apoi, Temburong followed by Kampung Bukit Beruang II Transfer Primary School in second place and Rataie Mukim Bokok Primary School, Temburong in third place.
Present as the guest of honor to witness the final stage competition was the Permanent Secretary (Core Education), Ministry of Education, Dr Shamsiah Zuraini Kanchanawati binti Haji Tajuddin, who completed the presentation of prizes to the winners at the end of the event.
Although the competition has ended, it turns out that the pupils and students of the schools involved have created the most beautiful memories of their school days, in addition to carrying the name of their respective schools.
As a result, the dance competition which highlights Brunei Native Dance and Brunei Ethnic Dance will certainly bring our generation back to the culture and arts of Brunei heritage, thus reflecting the traditional life of Malay Brunei that is almost swallowed up by time.
After all, the competition is not just an annual event, but a platform for the young generation to continue to raise and preserve the nation’s cultural treasures.