Pedagogy of Rasa: Children’s Value-Learning Experiences through Court Dance Communities in Malaysia and Indonesia
Project Partners:
- Muhammad Fazli Taib bin Saearani: Associate Professor of the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Malaysia.
- Abdul Hamid bin Chan: Deputy Director of the Federation of International Dance Festivals (FIDAF) Malaysia, an organisation headquartered in South Korea.
Description of Project:
Court dance is not only an artistic form but also a cultural space where values such as respect, discipline, patience, and empathy are embodied and transmitted. By studying the court dance communities of Terengganu (Malaysia) and Yogyakarta (Indonesia), this research project aims to understand how rasa shapes pedagogy and learning experience, in children’s dance education. The study has three main objectives. 1. To identify how the philosophy of rasa informs teaching practices in court dance communities in Malaysia and Indonesia. This will be achieved through document analysis, interviews with dance masters, and observation of teaching sessions. 2. To explore how children, experience and internalise value learning through movement, etiquette, and expression. This will be achieved through participant observation, reflective dialogue, and short interviews with children to understand their learning processes within the dance environment. 3. To develop a conceptual model of Pedagogy of Rasa that integrates principles of aesthetics with child-centred educational approaches. This will be achieved by analysing findings from both cultural contexts to identify shared values and distinctive teaching practices. Through these objectives, the project seeks to connect cultural heritage, education, and moral formation. It aligns with daCi’s mission to advance children’s dance research that fosters intercultural understanding, inclusivity, and creative expression, while promoting a deeper awareness of how cultural values can be experienced, embodied, and sustained through dance education.
manhang waganha dungin-gu ~ dancing and sleeping with the soil
Project Partners:
- Jo Clancy, First Nations Choreographer, Dancer, Teacher and Mentor, Australia
- Paul Glass, Kamilaroi man born to Dharug and Gundungurra Country, Australia
Description of Project:
For tens of thousands of years Aboriginal people have walked and danced bare foot on Country. For tens of thousands of years we have sat and slept on the soil next to fire with the sky Country above us. The internet is exploding with western wellness, mind-body-spirit practices for people to try and buy. Many of these practices have directly taken from First Nations knowing’s and ceremonial practices. Concepts such as ‘Grounding’ and ‘Earthing’ where people walk barefoot outside to reduce anxiety and inflammation are touted as new and exciting concepts. manhang waganha dungin-gu which translates to dancing and sleeping with the soil in Wiradjuri language will document a series of gatherings on Wiradjuri Country with a group of Aboriginal children and their parents walking, sitting, dancing and sleeping with the soil. Every time we gather, every time we connect with Country as teacher our knowledge grows. We will ask Country above us and below us to share dance and song with us and we will document the offerings. Documentation will be through oral discussion, video, photos and written text.