Zapin, folk dance of the Malay world
By: Mohd Anis Md Nor.
Series: South-East Asian social science monographs
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Singapore; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 166
Subjects: Zapin (Dance) -- History.
Description: In contrast to the scholarly attention given to the research of dance and music in other South-East Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, Malaysian performance traditions are rarely the focus of academic studies. Indeed, this is the first book to have been published on zapin, a Malaysian performing art which extends to Singapore and East Sumatra.

The syncretic combination of Arab and Malay performance elements in this dance is explained in detail with the extensive use of dance notations and music transcriptions. The book argues that the transposition of zapin from a communal level to a national one involved not only a change in the context in which the dance is performed but also a change in its structure and cultural meaning. Finally, the book traces the historical evolution of the Malay dance form from a participatory art to one that is passively observed, and investigates the music and dance structure of the genre.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [157]-162) and index.