Tari Zapin - Kepuluan Riau

The word Zapin comes from the Arabic "Zafn" which means fast foot movement following the beat of the blow. In Arabic, zapin is referred to as al raqh wal zafn. Zapin dance is a Malay dance that has Arabic influence.

This traditional dance is educative and entertaining at the same time, it is used as a medium of Islamic da'wah through zapin songs that are sung. There are rules and regulations in this dance that cannot be changed.

Zapin Dance From the Malay Tribe Was Originally Brought From?

Zapin dance was originally born from the form of a game using feet played by Arab and Persian men. Its development in the archipelago coincided with the spread of Islam brought by Arab traders from Hadramaut.

Zapin dance was introduced in Pekanbaru by a songkok from Sumatra named Adam around the 1930s. However, this dance was very popular in Pekanbaru in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in Tanjung Gemuk and Lamir villages.

Prior to 1960, initially the Zapin dance was only danced by male dancers, but as the development progressed, female dancers were also performed. And sometimes it is also performed simultaneously by men and women. In the past, the zapin dance was danced on a civil mat and the mat was not allowed to sway or shift at all when dancing the zapin dance.

Zapin showed fast footwork following the beat of the punches on a small drum called marwas. The rhythmic harmony of the instrument is getting more melodious with stringed stringed instruments. Because it is influenced by Arabic, this dance does feel educative without losing the entertainment side. There is an insertion of a religious message in the lyrics of the song.

Usually in the dance, the daily life of the Malay people is told, such as the movement of climbing the trunk, areca nut, belanak navel and others. You will see the opening movement of the dance in the form of a movement to form the letter alif (Arabic letter) which symbolizes the majesty of God.

Accompaniment Music

The musical instrument that accompanies the Zapin dance consists of two main instruments, namely stringed stringed instruments and three small drum percussion instruments called marwas.

Costumes and Make-up

The male zapin dancers wear clothes, brackets, civets, civets and trousers, songkets, placards, skullcaps, and brooches. As for the female dancers, the clothes are brackets anchored, songket cloth, side cloth, scarf hooded manto, earrings, rocking flowers, necklaces, as well as pandan and conget buns.

Zapin Dance Type

This dance is very diverse in dance movements, but basically the basic movements of the zapin are the same, danced by the people on the east and west coasts of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, Riau Islands, the coast of Kalimantan and Brunei Darussalam.

In Brunei, Zapin dances have many kinds, such as the rhythm and movement and according to the terms of the designation, the Brunei Zapin dialect is better known as '"Jipin"'. The following is the Zapin dance in Brunei: