Reviving Mystical Dance Form Through Short Film

By Nur Fatin Mohmad Kadenen JOHOR BAHRU (Johor, Malaysia) Sept 21 (Bernama) -- Two Johore-born filmmakers are attempting to revive a little known traditional dance form known as Reog through a short film that they have produced. Titled 'Barong', the seven-minute film directed by Raden Mohammad Azwan Naharudin and Mohd Arif Ani sheds light on the Reog dance, a form of masked dance that has its origins in the district of Ponorogo in East Java, Indonesia, and the people from there had brought the art form along with them when they migrated to Peninsular Malaysia a long time back. Currently, however, only the Javanese Malay community in three districts in Johor, namely Batu Pahat, Muar and Pontian, continue to stage this dance form, which is also known as Barong. The reason why Reog's popularity has declined over the years and is even viewed negatively is probably due to its ritualistic and supernatural elements that can be construed as un-Islamic. FIRST PRODUCTION 'Barong' is the maiden production of Raden Mohammad Azwan and Mohd Arif, both 26, who were formerly broadcast journalists and now jointly running a production house called Pokta Studio. The film was completed last year and was screened at the Johor Bahru Film Festival at the end of last year. "When we realised that Reog was fast becoming a forgotten art, especially among the young generation, we decided that we should take the effort to make a short film to revive this dance form which is now performed in only three districts in Johor," said Raden Mohammad Azwan. They received a RM5,000 grant from the Johor government via Tourism Johor to produce the film and worked closely with Reog and Barong dancers from Kelab Seni Budaya Warisan Utag, based in Parit Raja in Batu Pahat, Johor. Raden Mohammad Azwan and Mohd Arif took two months to do some in-depth research on Reog in order to explore and uncover the positive aspects of the traditional dance, as well as to ensure that they did not deviate from its historical background and mystical elements. Raden Mohammad Azwan said the script for the short film was ready within a week after which he teamed up with Mohd Arif and their seven-member crew to work on the filming. It only took them two days to complete the filming as they only had one actor in the cast. The post-production work took about three months to complete. "It was not easy to make 'Barong'. We had to have a lot of patience as Reog is an energetic and vibrant dance form so it took some time for us to get the best recordings or to add more shots," said the young director, adding that making the short film was an exciting experience for him and his crew as it involved a serious subject. POPULARISING BARONG PERFORMANCES According to Raden Mohammad Azwan, the Reog or Barong dance has some Islamic influence as prayers are recited before the start of a performance. He also stressed that there was no element of worship throughout the dance although some members of the dance troupe can be seen burning some incense to supposedly bless their musical instruments and masks before starting their performance. "I feel that this dance should be performed more widely and not staged purely for entertainment. It is a unique dance and the people must be informed that it does not contain any negative elements," he added. Mohd Arif agreed that efforts should be made to preserve the Reog or Barong performance, failing which it would fade into oblivion. "The various agencies or organisations concerned should take note of this and try to revive this art form. I'm sure it will turn into an attraction for many people, especially tourists visiting Johor," he added. Raden Mohammad Azwan, meanwhile, said he teamed up with his close friend Mohd Arif to set up their own production company three years ago as they wanted to focus on producing their own creative works that gave them satisfaction. "We want the core subject we choose for our work to open up the minds and eyes of our audience. Our main objective is to convey a position message to the people," said the young man, who is inspired by the works of well-known Malaysian director, the late Yasmin Ahmad. Translated by Rema Nambiar -- BERNAMA