The Change Of A Tradition

The Change Of A Tradition By Qistina Farisha Safrani Binte Mohamed Faizal From the left, Mr Noor Azhar and Ms Tanty Yushida. Director and Producer respectively who started a Bangsawan company, Anggerik Temasek Bangsawan together. An opening ‘march’ fills the hall as curtains open for an opening act. Voices flood the stage as one by one, characters come alive moving, communicating, laughing, and crying. You scan the stage and see the shining costumes, the detailed props, the actors, and something grabs your attention. You hear voices singing and see people dancing. But something else catches your eyes, and that is the martial arts scene happening, the silat. Putting yourself in a performer’s shoes, you look out to the crowd and see the seats filled with warm bodies, and their eyes glistening, invested in what you are performing for them. But as time passes, you notice the seats start to empty and the people you perform with slowly disappear. Unfortunately, that is the Bangsawan scene currently. To put it simply, Bangsawan is dying. Although there are performances once in a while, there are not many 1

viewers and practitioners around. But even so, the art is adapting and now, even this old art is moving into Television and Social media amongst other things. Meeting the world of Bangsawan “I first joined Bangsawan I think somewhere in the early 2000s. I was invited by the president of back then, Sri Anggerik Bangsawan… to join them in their weekly practice at Kampong Ubi Community Center,” Azhar said, as he recalled the first time he got into the practice of Bangsawan. Noor Azhar and Tanty Yushida are Bangsawan practitioners, as well as the Director and Producer, respectively, of a Bangsawan company, Anggerik Temasek Bangsawan. “I grew up watching Bangsawan, listening to Bangsawan on radio, watching Bangsawan on TV. Back then every week there would be a Bangsawan telecast but right now we don't get that. “ Azhar said. Both Azhar and Tanty grew up with Bangsawan while listening to radio segments, Bangsawan di Udara, live stage plays, and television broadcasts. Bangsawan used to be a popular and blooming art that aired and was performed everywhere with viewers from different races and religions watching, listening and, practicing the art. However, it has come a long way and has now changed into something that is rarely brought up when talking about theatrical genres. 2

Ms Tanty Yushida in a Bangsawan performance of Sang Rajuna Tapa as Dang Anum in 2003. Change, Change, And More Change Azhar shared that Bangsawan has brought many changes in his life as well as to his fellow practitioners. For him, Bangsawan changed him into a better version of himself and he said that it acted as a form of therapy. He wished to share this with others so that they can grow as a person too. But that isn’t the only change he experienced while practicing Bangsawan. Bangsawan brought Tanty and Azhar together and it gave them an opportunity to continue pursuing the art alongside each other. 3

A picture from a wedding photoshoot of Ms Tanty Yushida (left) and Mr Noor Azhar (right) in 2008. The Present and the Future “I won't be angry if anybody says that Bangsawan is a dying art form,” Azhar said when talking about the state of Bangsawan currently. There is no doubt that Bangsawan is not as popular as it was previously. However, there are efforts to try and conserve Bangsawan Heritage like giving it recognition and support, in terms of media coverage, funds, and support from schools. When asked about why Tanty and Azhar chose to continue pursuing Bangsawan even though it was in a dying state, Tanty replied that they had a strong passion for Bangsawan and they wish to pass it down to the next generation so that their children and the younger generation can enjoy it together. Tanty and Azhar have made efforts to modernise Bangsawan to fit the interest of different people from all age groups and across different media platforms using tools such as green screen performances and Youtube videos. They wish for the young generation to learn and fall in love with the art, so that the legacy of Bangsawan can be continued. 4

Azhar said when talking about the efforts to rejuvenate Bangsawan: “The power of many would really make this work and get Bangsawan back on track and popular. It is going to be an effort by many to bring Bangsawan back to the limelight.” (683 Words) 5