Documenting Dian Dancers’ Two Decades of Malay Cultural Youth Activism

Abstract

This article is a preliminary endeavour to document a Malay dance youth group, Dian Dancers’ twenty years of activism (2003-2023) in promoting Malay dance practice to youths in Singapore. Written through a scholarly personal narrative, it features a reflections and critical perspectives of Dr. Noramin Farid who is an active Singaporean Malay dance practitioner-scholar and the group’s co-founder. This documentation offers insights to a selection of Dian Dancers’ productions and activities. It also presents the group’s key focus namely, international and interlocal collaborations; creating platforms for young choreographers; and their adaptation to evolving conditions – particularly the Covid-19 period. Ultimately, the objective of this article is to address the need for highlighting the activisms of current and succeeding generations of practitioners to show the evolving practice in the art world and the adaptability of its practitioners.