TEMALANG, a new one-day festival marking 50 years of dikir barat in Singapore, fills Esplanade with free workshops, talks and performances on Saturday, 31 October. Norazam Hakub of Andika Kencana and the Singapore Dikir Barat Federation (GABUNGAN) present it with Esplanade, backed by the National Arts Council and the Tote Board Arts Fund.
The festival treats dikir barat as an evolving art form rather than only a competition, with cross-border collaborations and community sessions across the day.
Main showcase in the Concert Hall
TEMALANG: Echoes of Heritage, Rhythms of Today is the flagship show, with the Singapore Dikir Barat Federation and Malaysia’s Dikir Anak Singa. It pairs the regional styles of Kelantan with the contemporary flair of dikir Singapura. The show has moved from the DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre to the Esplanade Concert Hall and now runs as one continuous set.
- Time: 7.45pm
- Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes, no interval
- Entry: free
Drop-in fun for families
Gema & Gaya on the Esplanade Concourse lets visitors of all ages try the rebana and canang drums, or fold and decorate a paper tanjak, the traditional Malay headgear. Stay for ten minutes or the full two hours.
SENADA follows on the Concourse with SENADA-KUSTIK, 30-minute sets of dikir hits from the past decade mixed with a cappella, for ages six and up.
Workshops and talks in the Black Room
Three sessions in the Esplanade Black Room are free with registration. Registered guests get priority entry and must arrive five minutes early, with leftover seats going to walk-ins.
- 2pm: Teroka Spontan, a workshop on the improvised verses of the tukang karut, with Malaysia’s Mohd Suhaimi Ibrahim
- 3.30pm: Madah & Melodi, a song-writing masterclass with composer Zainal Ismail
- 5pm: Tradisi & Transformasi, a talk with Djohan A. Rahman and Sazali Zainal on how dikir barat has changed in Singapore, moderated by Aiman Syafiq
- Gema & Gaya: 4pm to 6pm, Esplanade Concourse
- SENADA-KUSTIK: 6.15pm and 7.15pm, Esplanade Concourse
