Dancing their way into unity

IN my second year as a member of Universiti Kebangsaan Malay­sia’s (UKM) board of governors, I remember whispering to a fellow member that I had never in my entire life attended so many dance performances before I was appointed to the post.

Before then, as an academic, I used to frown at dances during “serious” academic moments.

On several occasions when I was being awarded for best book writing, dance performances were put on by students because the minister was there to give out the prizes.

To me, knowledge is pretty serious stuff and to have these events marked by dances irritated me – it made the moments seem more like some political event.

I have received four book awards and all of them had performances, which I did not enjoy since I was not too happy with serious knowledge being placed side by side with an artistic performance. However, everything changed when I was appointed to the top post in June 2023.

As members of UKM’s board of governors, besides having to meet almost every month to discuss policy papers, go over money issues and academic matters, we are always invited as VIPs to many university events.

A special lecture by a foreign guest, a forum of scholars speaking on a subject, the vice-chancellor’s annual vision for the university speech, giving out excellence or loyalty awards – all these events will have at least one board member present.

It took me a long time to get used to security personnel saluting and calling me “Datuk” even though I have no title of that nature (except biologically, having four beautiful grandchildren).

The nicest thing about being a VIP, though, is that there is never any parking problems!

And the other nice and meaningful thing were the dance performances I came to see.

In the beginning, like most board members, I suppose I saw them as entertainment and a way to break the ice or enliven the majlis with the spirit of camaraderie. But after watching many performances and acknowledging their creativity, I realised that these dances also displayed dignity and adab – or dignity, respect and moral awareness.

As a young man, I had watched the Solid Gold Dancers on TV3 in the early 1980s – some of you might remember them from the music show Solid Gold.

That being my only such experience, I had thought that modern dancers must be scantily-clad women making “robust” movements that had no traditional continuity with the past.

But as I kept attending the events, I began to pay attention to the choreography of dances put on by UKM’s Arts and Culture Centre, and I was reminded of my 25-year-old quest to define a national culture that had tradition, modernity, adab and progressive excitement all rolled into one.

Like Michio Kaku, the physicist who is ever longing for a “Theory of Everything” contained in one elegant, inch-long equation, I found the Theory of National Culture right there at UKM!

As a professor of the philosophy of architecture, I have spent a lifetime talking about what is Malaysian architecture, what could be Islamic architecture, and even what should be Malay architecture. The idea of an architectural identity attached to nationhood, a religion or the spirit of a Bangsa Melayu is always tricky and illusive.

I have always supported the idea that any form of art – and I include architecture in this – must come with contemporary pragmatism, the essence of cultural values, and the dignity of a people in politics and society.

Thus I talked about democracy with adab, wisdom of speech and not just freedom to speak, and the values of our different ethnic and religious cultures.

I have used the phrase “one many Malaysia” in my writings, not “one Malaysia”.

We cannot build or define a national culture with just One, it must be done with the Many.

So when another local public university outlined its guidelines for cultural performances within a very narrow religious-race construct, I was deeply disturbed.

Now, I had enjoyed all the dances at UKM and I always found them to be professionally executed and well-choreographed with both tradition and modernity, with performers’ attire conforming to our sense of modesty but also respecting the nuances of traditional heritage identities.

But these new guidelines would destroy any appreciation of ethnic identities and should have no place at all in any educational institution.

If I were the Higher Education Minister, I would summon the vice-chancellor of that university and ask him or her to define what the national culture should be – and he or she would not be allowed to bring along the clerics that devised those guidelines.

In politics, we see narrow-mindedness in the interpretation of religious values, bigoted translations of historical events and toxic intracultural displays. But UKM produces dance choreography that manages to interlace intra­cultural values and heritage while still eliciting excitement, awe and a sense of unity within its audiences – certainly within this audience member – in performances that are only minutes-long.

Bravo, UKM Arts and Culture Centre – a beacon of unity, dignity and creative excitement!

Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at the Tan Sri Omar Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Studies at UCSI University. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.