The graceful movements of zapin dancers following the rhythm of the music may lead many to assume that the performance is the traditional zapin of Johor.
Yet, the songs accompanying the dance, sung in the Kelantanese dialect, suggest otherwise.
Still relatively unfamiliar even among the people of Kelantan, Salor zapin is a cultural heritage that originated in Kampung Salor, Kota Bharu, with 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 entering a period of decline 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 a handful of ageing practitioners.
Without efforts to piece together the fragments of history and dance movements from former practitioners, Salor zapin could eventually have been reduced to an oral tradition, destined to disappear with time.
This prompted the Kelantan branch of the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN) to embark on an initiative to trace the history of the dance.
After almost four years of research, Salor zapin has not only returned to cultural stages but is also gaining recognition as one of the state’s heritage forms with potential to be developed as a cultural tourism product.
HERITAGE ON THE BRINK OF DISAPPEARING
According to JKKN Kelantan cultural artiste Mohd Radzi Yusof, who is also among the researchers of Salor zapin, efforts to revive the traditional dance began with tracing a history that had almost been lost.
“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 under the leadership of the late Tengku Mahmud, better known as Tengku Kaya Pahlawan,” he told Bernama.
He said the legacy was later carried on by the second generation, Wan Abdul Razak and Che, before being passed down to the third generation comprising the late Abdul Manaf Awang and the late Noor Azmi Jaafar.
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 knowledge grew increasingly frail.
Mohd 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.
“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 subsequently developed into 12 movements that form the backbone of Salor zapin’s choreography.
For Mohd Radzi, one of the most poignant moments came when two third-generation practitioners who were key references in the research, Abdul Manaf Awang and Noor Azmi Jaafar, passed away not long 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 being compiled into documentation and folios 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 one of its dancers, 29-year-old 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 form of 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 thought there must be many others who do not know that this heritage actually exists,” said the cultural artiste, who hails from Kota Bharu.
Although he already had a foundation in folk dances, inang and dikir barat, Mohammad Hafiz Amirun believes that Salor zapin has its own identity that needs to be understood, rather than merely memorised.
He said training begins with mastering the footwork before progressing to the arrangement of movements and coordination of the dance according to the rhythm of the music.
“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.
His most nerve-wracking experience came when he was entrusted with making his debut performance before the Sultan of Kelantan, despite having only recently mastered the basic steps.
“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 Mohammad Hafiz Amirun, the uniqueness of Salor zapin lies not only in its graceful movements but also in the messages conveyed through lyrics rich in religious teachings, advice and moral values.
“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 that the biggest challenge today is attracting young people who are more exposed to modern entertainment and social media 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,” he said, expressing hope that more young people would come forward to learn the traditional art.
“If we do not safeguard our own culture, who else will?” he said.
GRACEFUL MOVEMENTS AS ITS IDENTITY
Those watching Salor zapin for the first time may not immediately notice how it differs from Johor zapin.
However, Mohd 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 the values of modesty and courtesy upheld by the Malay community in Kelantan.
“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.
Mohd 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.
ENSURING THE STEPS CONTINUE
Although Salor zapin has returned to cultural stages, ensuring that the heritage continues to thrive requires sustained commitment from various quarters.
JKKN Kelantan director Rohaniza Abdullah said the preservation of traditional arts cannot be shouldered by cultural practitioners alone, but requires cooperation among educational institutions, government agencies, communities and society at large.
She said JKKN was actively expanding workshops, coaching sessions and training programmes in schools and institutions of higher learning, 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 in the traditional art from a young age.
At the same time, Rohaniza said Salor zapin had 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 know, understand and take pride in inheriting Salor zapin.
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