2. MCG Orientation '09

Wednesday, 29 April 09

It's the orientation day for malay cultural group. That's when i got to know the MCG seniors and other freshmen.

At 6.00pm, I went to Block H lecture-theater 3 for MCG orientation. There was about 50 freshmen attended the orientation. I was in group H but then they changed the group name to "Dang Anom" since everyone in the group were girls. "Dang Anom" was a legendary malay woman warrior during the olden days.

After everyone had settled into their groups, the seniors start the orientation by introducing the EXCOs and members of MCG (Malay Cultural Group). Next, we freshmen had to introduce our self by telling our name, course and which sub-group would u like to join?

At about 6.15pm, the seniors got everyone to play 2 ice-breaking games. The first game was "One lie & Two truth", You have to tell others a lie and two truth of yourself and they have to guess which one is the lie. The second game was "Spiderweb", You have to tell one weakness and one strength to your group members and then you have to hold one end of a string and throw the ball of strings to one of your group member and he or she will have to do the same and continue until you see a web.

Then around 6.40pm, we had another game called "Amazing Race". My group members and I had to run almost around the school to find the clue and also had to do some activities to get the clue before 7.30pm. If not, we will not win the game but we managed to finish the game before the time runs out.

During 7.30pm - 8.00pm, we had our dinner and being told by the seniors, we had to choose one of our member to be a model and dress her up using recycled materials and also create a skit using 3 words "Apple", "Bee" and "Dance".

By 9.30pm, everything ended smoothly and everyone was happy to be there.

*As a closure for this post, i added a video and a summary of the skit.

It's about 3 royal servants and princess Snow-White having fun in the garden but end up into a tragedy. While the princess was singing, an unexpected bee flew into her mouth and as a result she fainted. To cure her, a group of dikir barat came and sang to awaken her.

ENJOY WATCHING!!

- THANK YOU -

1. JOINING MALAY CULTURAL GROUP

Malay Cultural Group is a group which inculcates bonding among peers and nurturing its member's talents in Nanyang Polytechnic. They gives the opportunity for students who have strong passionate in the Malay arts and culture to unlock the secrets of our tradition and to discover their talents through dances, drama and singing. They get to perform during open house of NYP, productions, competitions and etc. They have 3 subgroups :

Indra Nila Kirana

Indra Nila Kirana is the name of the Malay Dance Group in NYP. The group consists of both girls and guys.

Tarian Melayu or Malay dance portrays the customs and culture of the Malays. It depicts the true nature of the Malay people and their way of life. Generally, Malay dances are divided into two main categories which are the "original" Malay dances and "adopted" Malay dances. The "original" Malay dances are indigenous to the Malay region, encompassing Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, the Riau Archipelago and Borneo, and its origins can be traced back to the early Malay civilizations. The "adopted" Malay dances are influenced by foreign cultures due to political and historical events. The various forms or styles of Malay dance are further categorized by its beats (rentak) and rhythm (irama).

The four basic genres of Malay dance are Asli, Inang, Joget and Zapin. Asli and Inang dances are categorised as the "original" Malay dances whereas Joget and Zapin are categorized as "adopted" Malay dances.

Betara Karisma & Dewi Kalista

Betara Karisma & Dewi Kalista are the names of Dikir Barat Group in NYP. Betara Karisma is consisting of the guys and Dewi Kalista is consisting of the girls.

Dikir Barat is a form of singing in a group of any size. It was performed as a ritual or celebration of the rice harvest season but now, it is mainly for entertainment and competitions between Dikir Barat groups.

The basic elements of a Dikir Barat Group are the two front men, the Juara and the Tukang Karut. The Juara is the singer of the group with the melodious voice and he will usually open the performance of his or her group followed by the Tukang Karut. Unlike the Juara, the Tukang Karut will be interacting with the audience with his or her wit.

Pusaka Seni

Pusaka Seni is the name of MCG theatre drama. Pusaka seni theatre drama encourages students to make personal choices through movement, dialogue and expression.

These students will not only be introduced to the essential acting skills but also be guided to express their creativity and build confidence.