Sunday, April 26, 2009

In The Azanin Dance Garden (Laman Tari Azanin)


Nothing that was to happen on Wednesday morning thwarted our trip to the Azanin Dance Garden.'

The members of the MCG ( Malaysian Culture Group) gathered to car pool for this exciting outing to Hulu Langat To cut a long story short, we got lost in the concrete jungle of Cheras etc. Finally we got a taxi to lead us there. 3 cars followed the 'leader'. Some who navigated better got there first waited patiently for us to arrive.

We were warmly greeted by 2 dance members of Suasana Cultural Centre and Datin Azanin Dato Ahmad herself . First we had to cross a swing bridge over the clear Langat river. Then the lush garden took our breath away. Heliconias! Costus! And so many other plants looking absolutely brilliant in the mid morning sun









Datin Azanin, dancer- choreographer showed us the way to the Balai - Rumah Ibu where many musical instruments and artefacts are kept. Then , down some stone steps to cross a well- manicured lawn to the Balai Tari.




The members of the MCG gathered and chatted over a quick cup of tea/coffee with a platter of local kueh delicacies . Then, Datin Azanin formally welcomed and introduced herself and her dancers.

'Art is my passion . Art is absorbing and feeling ...' she enthused. She talked about her world of dance and work that has encompassed her life. Our ears pricked to absorb the passion she felt in her work and achievements.

Passion requires the patience, tenacity and the sweat to put her ideas together. Datin Azanin's work requires solid research and documentation to keep the rich cultural heritage in general of the region and specifically the performing arts of Malaysia alive.




Single- handedly, since 1980 she has pursued her dream; hence the birth of the Suasana Cultural Centre . This speaks volumes for her determination. Because she breathes and lives dance and the performing arts, she is a key figure to keep traditional heritage alive.


To our delight, she showed us some dance movements of the royal courts . Also, she talked about the shadow puppet ( wayang kulit) and the silat ( Malay art of self defence) , the makyong theatre, and the royal court dances accompanied by the classical music.






Some 'brave' ladies joined the dance demo. Fingers quivered and twirled, legs well positioned, bodies gently swayed. I was busy snapping some lovely movements.








In the short time spent together , Datin Azanin awakened our senses , raw as they may be. Speaking for myself! Really, a visit isn't enough to soak it all in.







Her reputation has garnered her acclaim from an international audience from countries like USA, Australia, Germany, Singapore and admirers far flung.

What's more, it's comforting to know she's mesmerising the young ones under her tutelage.

So, in the Azanin Dance Garden, cultural heritage has every good chance to live and thrive.

14 comments:

  1. Hello,
    I have NEVER seen such unusual flowers!
    And I adore shadow puppets. I've seen Balinese shadow puppets, and the music is unforgetable.

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  2. Very lovely post. Is that the flower of a ginger plant? Beautiful culture and nice dance. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. The Lobster claws are red, unlike the ones at my place. The dance movements so well captured. Lovely post!

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  4. What a lovely place to visit! Full of beautiful plants and interesting culture. That must have been an awesome experience. Have a great week, Sunshine :)

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  5. Hi Auntie
    The dangling ones are heliconias and the first pic. is really special. It has a waxy look and hairy too, thus the sheen.

    Aicesg , the flower certainly belongs to the ginger family.

    Thanks Indrani and Rosidah for your lovely comments.

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  6. Very nice cultural post, I would love to go there an experience that dance first hand.

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  7. Hi Keats the sunshine girl,
    Thanks for dropping over at my blog.
    Re the wild boar/4D story - My Aunt stays at Jln anak bukit in Taiping.
    It is just behind her house. You need to enter from another road which I am sorry I can't name it. (never bother to take note of it.)
    Btw you have an interesting blog here.
    Have a nice day.

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  8. I absolutely love those flowers. They are so typical of summer. :)

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  9. Its beautiful in your country :)
    I go to follow you:)
    I put your logo on my blog
    than can I see when you post a new post HEHE
    Great festival and lovely red flowers,
    I never seen before (those funny flowers)
    Many greetz Anya:)

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  10. This is a very healthy activity. Keeping the tradition in dancing alive. The plant and flowers look beautiful and unique. I have never seen it before.

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  11. Hello sunshine (I love this phrase),
    thank you for joining the fun today :)!
    Hope you have a great day

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  12. Hi M.kate , thanks for visiting.

    Aiyah Nyonya, thanks for your nice comments.

    Morinn,glad you like the lovely flowers.

    Anya, thanks for following my blog. I told a friend, May about your cat blog and she'll be popping in to learn more.

    Zue Murphy, am glad i took pics of the heliconias. There's been great appreciation for them.

    Rosidah, now you know I'm sunshine, not .... ha! Ha!

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  13. Nice post and snaps of flower are beautiful

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  14. Hi Rajesh

    Thanks for visiting my blog. Yes, these tropical flowers are really beutiful.
    Have a good day.

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Great to have you popping in!