Rehearsal 1, 24 January 2020

1:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Stamford Arts Centre: Arts Resource Hub & Rumah P7:1SMA

The first rehearsal started with a meeting in the Arts Resource Hub to have a discussion.

Activity 1:

- sharing of Jiwang slang and meaning

- the ‘Jiwa’ in Jiwang (jiwa = soul)

- collection of Jiwang songs: 26 songs

- deconstruct and investigate what self, society and worldview of ‘jiwang’

- conflict: will the audience be searching for what and where is the Jiwang in this dance performance?

Performance ideas/ format:

- projector slides to show band names

- bite sized of 26 diff songs & dance

- in between have rest time, like the sports HIIT (interval training)

- some songs

Dance floor:

- hire crew to set up sprung floor

- order white Marley floor

Resource for Malay lyrics:

- all English translations of the 26 Malay song lyrics to be avail if artists need to refer to

- caution that lyrics will not limit imagination of the dance

Ideas for marketing:

- Create Spotify playlist

- popsicle karaoke contest

- possibly to attend / link up with Malay music festival in February in Sg (newboyz)

Costume:

- colour of colonizer countries i.e. British, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese

- shoes

In depth sharing:

To project on screen

- Translation of Malay band names to English

- Linking to chronological timeline of Singapore

- chance encounter for Title of song & lyrics

To engage researchers / come for previews & Show:

- Malay language expert

- Singapore history expert

- Malay music / lyricists expert

After the discussion, they then started exploring the possibilities of the songs Haizad has selected. The songs are chosen based on the band names, which are then adapted to portray several moments, aspects, and issues the Malay community in Singapore have experienced or are currently experiencing. These songs are then arranged in a sequence that suggests a narrative of their historical lineage, from the discovery of Temasek to the current affairs.

These include the stereotypes/discrimination, misconceptions, practices & habits, social stigma and political stance.

(song sequence): (band name) - (song title) → (portrayal/embodiment/expression)

Disambiguation of band name

Song 1: Samudera - Salam Sejahtera → The Orang Laut of Temasek

Samudera: the gathering together of waters i.e. oceans, sea

• The daily lives of the orang laut; lounging, being in the sea breeze

(Note: were they portraying their own understanding i.e. what is their reference?)

Song 2: Laksamana - Gugurnya Bunga Cinta → the stories of Hang Tuah, Sang Nila Utama

Laksamana: equivalent to modern Admiral

- Noble stance

- Looking out into the distance (open water, possibilities)

- Trekking in the jungle and being eaten by wild animals

Song 3: Leon – Merisik Rindu → Lion City, Birth of Singapore, Sang Nila Utama’s encounter with a lion

- Portrayal of a lion/wild animals

o Crawling, leaping, stalking/hunting, rolling, frolicking

- Combining into one big animal with a tail

Song 4: Terrarossa – Bunga Angkasa → red soil, Bukit Merah/tale of Hang Nadim, invasion of Japan

- Portrayal of swordfish

- Barrier made of tree trunks

- Soldiers fending off the swordfish

- Conflict between the ruler and Hang Nadim

(Note: were these interpretations deduced based on prior knowledge of the tale? Is it necessary for the audience to understand the work?)

Song 5: Slam – Nur Kasih → Attack/slam the mattress, marching

- Different ways of attacking each other and ownself

- Slamming into walls

- Slamming doors shut

- Slamming/falling hard onto the floor

- Carrying and slamming someone else’s body on the floor

- Slamming different body parts/using different parts

- Wrestling

Song 6: Rahmat – Siapa Di Hatimu → Blessing, wisdom, mercy

Rahmat: mercy, clemency

- Crawling/struggling on the floor, perhaps begging for mercy

- Arul singing the lyrics while removing long-sleeve top and tying the sleeves around the neck/turning it into somewhat a hijab, then collapsing in the center of the room

- Hung by a noose

Song 7: Medicine – Tika Dan Saat Ini → Bomoh (witch doctor), crescendo movement, possession, rituals, nasi kangkang, witch

- wringing/contortion of bodies

- Sembur/spitting

- Interacting with the supernatural

- Possession, trance

- Cleansing, exorcism

Song 8: Spring – Butakah Cinta → Ideas of Rebirth, Rejuvenation, Renewal, Resurrection and Regrowth

- Multi-armed deity

- Shaping, morphing, sculpting of other bodies

- Of a certain form/shape

Song 11: New Boyz – Sejarah Mungkin Berulang → People’s Action Party

- Fist of power in the air, campaigning

- Addressing the people

- Blindfolded/eyes covered, misguided, blind leading the blind

o Forced to open the eyes by the now two fists of power

- Using the blind to stand on/as support

- Struggle/conflict of trying to oppose/stand up against

Song 12: Data – Nyayian Rindu Buat Kekasih → Statistics

- Measuring in feet

- Machine, rotating parts in opposite directions

- Mechanical, precise, sequential staccato movements

- Measuring with a fixed ‘ruler’/distance

- Comparing observed measurements on other bodies to own body’s measurements

Song 13: Visa – Untukmu Selamanya → Citizenship, CMIO model

- Full body check

- Immigration gantry/Checkpoint

- Lenggang/Drama segment from Belon

o Broke off to lenggang variations (Syimah) and floorwork (Sharul)

- Waving goodbye before walking off

Song 14: Search – Fantasia Bulan Madu → Searching for identity

- Looking out window, waiting

- Imagine something within reach yet not physical/in material realm

- Using a map, traversing multiple terrain, treasure is someone’s wallet

- Listening, trying different points of view/positions to discover, at different points of the space

- Feeling/caressing one’s own body

- Brushing off

- Attempting to stick money to body

- Crawling off

- Emptying pockets

- Carrying emptiness

- Imitasi

After which Haizad concluded the rehearsal and stated that they will continue the rest of the songs during the next rehearsal during the residency.