03/09/2026

LYFE THURSDAY | SEPT 3, 2026

23 Salor zapin : Few steps from extinction T HE graceful movements of zapin dancers following the rhythm of the music may lead many to mistake it for o Kelantan’s heritage dance risks being lost knowledge grew increasingly frail. Radzi said researching Salor zapin was no easy task as most of the older practitioners could recall only fragments of the dance movements they had performed decades ago.

Johor’s traditional zapin . Yet, the songs accompanying the dance, sung in the Kelantanese dialect, suggest otherwise. Still relatively unfamiliar even among Kelantanese, Salor zapin is a cultural heritage with origins in Kampung Salor, Kota Bharu. It has its own place in the state’s cultural landscape, despite the greater popularity of dikir barat, wayang kulit and mak yong as artistic identities of the state of Cik Siti Wan Kembang. The heritage is believed to have flourished in the early 20th century before declining in the late 1990s due to a lack of successors. Its survival became increasingly threatened by limited documentation and infrequent performances, leaving some of its dance movements preserved only in the memories of ageing practitioners. Without reconstruction work, Salor zapin could eventually have been reduced to an oral tradition, destined to disappear with time. This prompted the Kelantan branch of the National Culture and Arts Department (JKKN) to begin tracing the dance’s history. After about four years of research, Salor zapin has not only returned to cultural stages but is also being recognised as one of the state’s heritage forms with potential to become a cultural tourism product. disappearing According to JKKN Kelantan cultural artiste Mohd Radzi Yusof, who researched Salor zapin , efforts to revive the traditional dance began with tracing an almost lost history. “ Salor refers to the salor , or irrigation channels once built to water paddy fields, which eventually became the identity of the village now known as Kampung Salor. Salor zapin itself was influenced by Arab culture brought by Islamic preachers to the area. The dance flourished among the local community around the 1960s,” he told Bernama. However, changing times saw the heritage gradually pushed to the margins as fewer people remained capable of performing the dance, while the custodians of Salor zapin ’s Heritage on the brink of

“One teacher remembered certain sections, while another recalled different movements. We gathered everything, discussed it and pieced together every remaining fragment until we were able to reconstruct the structure of Salor zapin as it is performed today,” he said. The research identified four basic dance forms, which were later developed into 12 movements that form the backbone of Salor zapin ’s choreography. For Radzi, a poignant moment came when two third generation practitioners that were key references in the research, Abdul Manaf Awang and Noor Azmi Jaafar, passed shortly after witnessing the performance resulting from the study. “They came to us because they did not want Salor zapin to disappear and wanted to pass on whatever knowledge they still had. They managed to see the findings brought to the stage, but did not live to witness how Salor zapin has developed to what it is today,” he said. The findings are now documented to ensure that the history, techniques, movements and philosophy of Salor zapin no longer depend solely on oral memory, but can instead be studied and passed on to future generations. From student to custodian Efforts to revive Salor zapin would be incomplete without young people willing to learn and carry the art forward. For 29-year-old Kota Bharu dancer Mohammad Hafiz Amirun Md Salleh, his involvement began with a realisation that may be shared by many Kelantanese – he did not know that his home state had its own zapin . He said that before joining JKKN in late 2022, he was only familiar with Johor zapin , which is more frequently performed at various cultural events. “When people mention zapin , they immediately think of Johor. I was the same. It was only after joining JKKN that I discovered Kelantan actually has Salor zapin . From there, I became interested in learning it because I

Salor zapin is a traditional Kelantanese dance that has a dire lack of practitioners. – PICS FROM BERNAMA

Ensuring the steps continue Although Salor zapin is back from the brink, ensuring the heritage continues to thrive requires sustained commitment from various quarters. JKKN Kelantan director Rohaniza Abdullah said preserving traditional arts cannot be shouldered by cultural practitioners alone, but requires cross party cooperation. She said JKKN was actively running programmes in schools and universities, while providing more performance platforms to introduce Salor zapin to the public. “At schools, we have the Kelab Giat Budaya and cultural arts mentoring programmes, while at institutions of higher learning, we work with cultural clubs so that more students can get to know and learn Salor zapin . When they understand its history and learn its movements, they are no longer merely spectators but have the potential to become custodians of this art,” she said. She said documentation efforts through JKKN’s Cultural Mapping programme were also being strengthened to ensure the history, dance movements and development of Salor zapin are systematically recorded for future generations. To nurture more young talents, JKKN plans to organise Salor zapin competitions at primary school level as a platform to identify talent and cultivate interest among youngsters. At the same time, Rohaniza said Salor zapin has great potential as a cultural tourism product that could further enhance Kelantan’s identity as a state rich in artistic heritage. “The uniqueness of its dance movements, the use of the Kelantanese dialect in its songs and its history give Salor zapin added value as a cultural tourism product. We want tourists visiting Kelantan not only to enjoy its food and go shopping, but also to discover the identity of its people through performing arts such as Salor zapin ,” she said. She said the true success of preservation efforts should not be measured by the number of performances, but by whether more young people come to value the heritage and history of Salor zapin .

thought there must be many others who do not know that this heritage actually exists,” said the cultural artiste. Although familiar with the folk dances inang and dikir barat , Hafiz believes Salor zapin has its own identity that needs to be understood instead of memorised. Training begins with learning footwork before mastering the movements and dancing to the musical rhythm. “Someone with a basic knowledge of dance usually needs only three to five days to master the fundamentals of Salor zapin . But to truly appreciate it, we need to understand the meaning behind each movement and the songs being performed,” he said. A nerve-wracking experience came when he was tasked with making his debut performance before the Sultan of Kelantan, despite being a novice. “I was really nervous because it was my first performance. All I could think about was making a mistake. Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly and the experience gave me the confidence to continue my involvement in Salor zapin ,” he said. For Hafiz, Salor zapin is unique because of its graceful movements and the messages presented via its lyrics. “When we perform, people are not just watching the dance. They are also listening to lyrics that carry meaningful lessons. That is what sets Salor zapin apart,” he said. However, he acknowledged the biggest challenge today is attracting young people, who are more exposed to modern culture and content. “Perhaps they see traditional dance as slow-paced and less popular than foreign cultures. That is why we need to introduce Salor zapin to them more widely. Otherwise, they will never know what we have. If we do not safeguard our own culture, who else will?” he said, hoping more youths would step forth to learn the classic art. Graceful movements as identity Those watching Salor zapin for the first time might mistake it for Johor zapin . However, Radzi said the uniqueness of Salor zapin lies in the graceful movements that form the soul of the performance. Although performed by male

dancers, every step is executed with restraint and decorum, without exaggerated movements, reflecting Kelantanese Malay values. “If Johor zapin is known for its pacak technique, which involves lifting the legs higher, Salor zapin maintains lower and more controlled movements. That gentleness itself is the identity of Salor zapin ,” he said. The uniqueness is further reinforced by songs in the Kelantanese dialect, which are steeped in religious teachings and advice, including the importance of performing prayers, good manners and communal living. Radzi said the songs accompanying performances today are not simply reproduced from the past, but have been reworked based on research into the rhythms and melodies still remembered by former teachers. “In the past, Salor zapin songs were sung live during performances. After conducting our research, we reconstructed the songs while retaining their original rhythm and musical structure so that their identity would remain intact,” he said. Authenticity is also reflected in the dancers’ costumes. The men wear getam budu with a samping berikatan kembung , while the women wear kebaya berpesak complete with headscarves, highlighting the identity of Kelantan’s Malay community. Unlike some other traditional dances that incorporate the keris or weapons as part of the performance, Salor zapin takes a more understated approach, focusing on dance movements, musical rhythm and the delivery of its message. Behind every seemingly gentle step lies a philosophy centred on cooperation, mutual assistance and unity within the community. The dancers’ coordinated formations symbolise communal unity, while each movement and song tells stories of a Malay way of life rooted in courtesy, modesty and the spirit of consensus. “That is why we want the younger generation not only to know how to dance, but also to understand the values embedded in every movement,” he said.

Much has to be done to ensure the continued survival of the heritage dance.