[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BOQpZRScsc&feature=share” title=”Broadway%20Dance”]

A little over 100 years ago, Broadway theater was just getting started in New York City. In its early days you could catch a musical such as “Black Crook” for $2 a seat. Although it was criticized heavily back then, the Broadway style of theater kept gaining popularity amongst the middle class. Nowadays it is not surprising to find a Broadway dancing and theater school in most big cities around the world. Musical theater enthusiasts attend a range of classes at these school to learn about what makes Broadway theater so special or in the hopes of becoming the next Broadway star.

Definition and Origins

• Broadway dance can be defined as the incorporation of ballet, jazz and modern dance styles with theater and singing. At its beginnings, people were intrigued with Broadway theater because it was the first time dance was an integral component of a play’s plot. Because theater critics did not approve of Broadway as a serious type of theater in its first few decades, its creators were known as “gypsies” until successful productions proved otherwise. Some of the earliest recognized Broadway dance choreographers include George Balanchine, Robert Alton and Gower Champion.

Elements

• Broadway dance is different from other styles because the fusion of ballet, jazz and modern allows for unconventional movements and unusual use of body parts. The use of theater props such as canes, top hats and gloves is also very popular in Broadway productions, allowing once again a variety of movements previously unexplored in theater or dance productions. Finally, what makes Broadway dance contrast with other dance styles is that is also blends in acting and singing, meaning that Broadway dancers also need to be actors and singers.

The dance is called Zapin Tenglu, one of the many types of zapin dances in Malaysia.
This type of zapin dance is originated from the state of Johor and among the most popular Malay folk dance in Malaysia.

The dancers in this performance are those professional zapin dancers from Johor’s Heritage Foundation funded by the State of Johor Government (Yayasan Warisan Johor), needless to say one of the best professional folk dancers group in the country and the Asean region!

Zapin or zafin was introduced to Malay archipelagos hundred of years ago by Arab traders who came here to trade and at the same time expand the teachings of Islam. After sometimes, the dance revolved to inculcate the values and tradition of the local Malay people until it wholly become unique in its own local way but still maintaining some important features of original Arabic zapin dance like the musical instruments used (gambus / oud, traditional drums etc.), the Middle East melody in its song and the identical 8-counting-basic-movements in its dance steps!

Apart from the Malaysia’s state where the zapin is danced by its people like Johor, Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan, Sarawak and Sabah, zapin is also danced by the people in its neighboring country like Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei.

[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sASc8bibH5k”]

[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HloQsDpwf60″]

For booking kindly contact us at:

M:603 5523 8060
E :booking@sp-entertainment.net