Two cultures colliding in cadence

STRIKING LIGHTS, graceful dancers and harmonious vocals all swayed to the tunes played by the live band. Singers and musicians provided the musical backdrop while the dancers took centre stage.

The audience were left mesmerised, erupting in cheers and applause at each interval.

Such was the atmosphere during the staging of the Traditional Music and Dance Ensemble by the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (Aswara) and the Transylvania University of Brasov at the former’s Experimental Theatre in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Part of a two-day cultural exchange programme organised by the parties, the initiative saw 40 students from Aswara and 31 students and lecturers from the Romanian University coming together to learn and gain mutual understanding about each other’s cultural values.

They were given the opportunity to explore

the variety of languages, cultures and traditional performance techniques practised in the two countries, thus promoting acceptance and an immersive global interaction.

Fifteen students from the Music faculty and Dance faculty of Aswara showcased an assortment of traditional Malay songs, as well as folk and classical Malay dances ranging from

and

The audience were further enthralled by the Romanian troupe who performed.

It was a series of five traditional dances and vocal compositions, such as

(Dance from Moldova), (Vocal suite) and (Dance from Transilvania) Interestingly, the 18-people ensemble comprised students from various faculties in the university.

For the finale, Aswara and Transylvania University of Brasov students came together to dance the Joget Johor Sports Club, which the latter had learned and practiced during the masterclass on the previous day. It was a great display of cultural unity and cooperation.

The Aswara dance setlist was the brainchild of Mohd Seth Hamzah, the head of the Performance Programme of the Dance Faculty. He expressed his hopes for Aswara to stage an international dance festival in the near future with the support of the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.

Ioana Rucsanda, a medical student who was one of the three soloists during the Romanian segment, said she was delighted to perform in Malaysia.

“I believe in cultural exchanges because it’s very important to know about different cultures and history as we are all related. Only by travelling and seeing people’s behaviour and beliefs can we understand each other better.”

“We are very proud to present our culture to an audience from another country,” said Aswara Music (Performance) student Dhiya Suhaila Abdul Ghani, a singer for this event, who had represented Malaysia to the Philippines last year.

Aswara board of directors chairman Datuk Rashidi Hasbullah, in his opening speech, said this programme was a stepping stone for future collaborations between Malaysia and Romania.

“In Aswara, we believe that developing institutional linkages such as these enriches everybody involved,” he said.

He launched the event on April 3, while the day before, a meeting between the two academic institutions was chaired by Aswara rector Associate Professor Sahar Sa’di Hashim.

Present were the Romanian ambassador to Malaysia Nistor Constantin Volodea, and deputy head of mission Camelia N. Tudose, Also present were members of Aswara board of director members Datuk Mohd Nasir Hamzah and Datuk A. Rahman Hassan.