School of Creative
Industries
Nawwarah Hanis Binte Mohamad Ghazali
Nawwarah is a creative individual who is on a mission to carve out unique experiences for herself. Her interests lie in the arts, where she believes should be made accessible to everyone. She is self-driven and is able to adapt herself to any environment she is put into. She also enjoys research and engaging with people, believing that people can be connected through art just like constellations.
Thesis abstract
Cultural innovations in Singapore Malay dance: a labour of love and what the body remembers
Malay dance in Singapore has gone through a period of artistic rejuvenation and development, where practitioners took to experimenting with the form by fusing influences from other dance forms or cultures. This boldness to innovate has led to the creation of many contemporary Malay dance works that intrigue and inspire. However, with the increasing contemporary practice of the younger generation, there is now a contention on what makes the presentation of Malay dance ‘Malay enough’. Would a dance form still be considered Malay dance if it does not have any traditional Malay dance movements? Similarly, who decides what is considered ‘Malay’ or not? If it is really the labour of love that allowed Malay dance to develop towards this trajectory, then why not allow contemporary Malay dance to also exist out of the same love for the art form?