MALAY DANCE AS A PLATFORM FOR SOCIAL DISCOURSE ON WOMEN: A STUDY ON MALAY DANCE PRACTITIONERS AND DANCE-MAKING IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the creative processes of Malay dance practitioners in Singapore, post-independence. The lived-experiences of the Malay dance practitioners highlight the expectations, barriers, and meanings in dance-making. Considering Singapore’s industrialization in the 1980s, Malay women experienced changes in their roles and expectations. Viewing Malay dance as an attempt for social discourse on women, this thesis focuses on past Malay dance productions on women in Malay society. This thesis also aims to explore how dance-making could highlight the dynamics between the practitioner’s resources, social context, and gendered expectations, with the choreography presented. It is hoped that the different production stories can shed light on the ways Malay dance has responded to the social changes in Singapore, throughout the years.