Mak Yong is a traditional form of dance-drama that combines ritualistic spiritworship concerning Mak Hiang (Mother-Spirit, or the Paddy-Spirit). It has elements of acting, dancing, singing, songs, stories and dialogues. It is widely performed in Terengganu, Patani, Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis as well as at the Islands of Riau in Indonesia and Pattani of Southern Thailand.\nMak Yong is believed to be originated from the Malay Palace in Pattani about 400 years ago before making its way to the East Coast of Peninsular Nakatsua. In the 1920’s, Mak Yong was performed under the patronage of Kelantan Sultanate and therefore has assimilated the luxury of palace-style decorated costumes.\nUnfortunately, Mak Yong was banned by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party in 1991 under the allegation of animist and Hindu-Buddhist roots. The status of Mak Yong was recognized internationally after UNESCO declared Mak Yong as an"Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in 2005.\nThe performance often opens with the song “Mengadap Rebab,” followed with dancing and singing accompanied by traditional musical composition. There are twelve main stories in a Mak Yong performance: Dewa Muda, Dewa Pencil, Dewa Sakti, Dewa Panah, Raja Indera Dewa, Endeng Tejeli (Anak Raja Gondang, Batak Raja Gondang, Raja Bongsu Sakti), Raja Tangkai Hati, Gading Bertimang, Raja Muda Lakleng, Raja Muda Lembek, Raja Besar dalam Negeri Ho Gading and Bentara Muda. In general, the stories are derived from local folktales about kings, deities and comic characters. Mak Yong has also been associated with traditional medicinal purposes in which shamans attempt to cure possessed patients through singing and dancing in ritualistic trance.\nEach story needs a duration of three hours to be fully performed. Most Mak Yong characters are played by female actors and is performed on a center stage surrounded by the audience. Audience sit around the three sides of the stage, while the fourth side is reserved for the musicians.

Mak Yong is a traditional form of dance-drama that combines ritualistic spiritworship concerning Mak Hiang (Mother-Spirit, or the Paddy-Spirit). It has elements of acting, dancing, singing, songs, stories and dialogues. It is widely performed in Terengganu, Patani, Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis as well as at the Islands of Riau in Indonesia and Pattani of Southern Thailand.\nMak Yong is believed to be originated from the Malay Palace in Pattani about 400 years ago before making its way to the East Coast of Peninsular Nakatsua. In the 1920’s, Mak Yong was performed under the patronage of Kelantan Sultanate and therefore has assimilated the luxury of palace-style decorated costumes.\nUnfortunately, Mak Yong was banned by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party in 1991 under the allegation of animist and Hindu-Buddhist roots. The status of Mak Yong was recognized internationally after UNESCO declared Mak Yong as an"Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in 2005.\nThe performance often opens with the song “Mengadap Rebab,” followed with dancing and singing accompanied by traditional musical composition. There are twelve main stories in a Mak Yong performance: Dewa Muda, Dewa Pencil, Dewa Sakti, Dewa Panah, Raja Indera Dewa, Endeng Tejeli (Anak Raja Gondang, Batak Raja Gondang, Raja Bongsu Sakti), Raja Tangkai Hati, Gading Bertimang, Raja Muda Lakleng, Raja Muda Lembek, Raja Besar dalam Negeri Ho Gading and Bentara Muda. In general, the stories are derived from local folktales about kings, deities and comic characters. Mak Yong has also been associated with traditional medicinal purposes in which shamans attempt to cure possessed patients through singing and dancing in ritualistic trance.\nEach story needs a duration of three hours to be fully performed. Most Mak Yong characters are played by female actors and is performed on a center stage surrounded by the audience. Audience sit around the three sides of the stage, while the fourth side is reserved for the musicians.

Mak Yong is a traditional form of dance-drama that combines ritualistic spiritworship concerning Mak Hiang (Mother-Spirit, or the Paddy-Spirit). It has elements of acting, dancing, singing, songs, stories and dialogues. It is widely performed in Terengganu, Patani, Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis as well as at the Islands of Riau in Indonesia and Pattani of Southern Thailand.\nMak Yong is believed to be originated from the Malay Palace in Pattani about 400 years ago before making its way to the East Coast of Peninsular Nakatsua. In the 1920’s, Mak Yong was performed under the patronage of Kelantan Sultanate and therefore has assimilated the luxury of palace-style decorated costumes.\nUnfortunately, Mak Yong was banned by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party in 1991 under the allegation of animist and Hindu-Buddhist roots. The status of Mak Yong was recognized internationally after UNESCO declared Mak Yong as an"Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in 2005.\nThe performance often opens with the song “Mengadap Rebab,” followed with dancing and singing accompanied by traditional musical composition. There are twelve main stories in a Mak Yong performance: Dewa Muda, Dewa Pencil, Dewa Sakti, Dewa Panah, Raja Indera Dewa, Endeng Tejeli (Anak Raja Gondang, Batak Raja Gondang, Raja Bongsu Sakti), Raja Tangkai Hati, Gading Bertimang, Raja Muda Lakleng, Raja Muda Lembek, Raja Besar dalam Negeri Ho Gading and Bentara Muda. In general, the stories are derived from local folktales about kings, deities and comic characters. Mak Yong has also been associated with traditional medicinal purposes in which shamans attempt to cure possessed patients through singing and dancing in ritualistic trance.\nEach story needs a duration of three hours to be fully performed. Most Mak Yong characters are played by female actors and is performed on a center stage surrounded by the audience. Audience sit around the three sides of the stage, while the fourth side is reserved for the musicians.

Mak Yong is a traditional form of dance-drama that combines ritualistic spiritworship concerning Mak Hiang (Mother-Spirit, or the Paddy-Spirit). It has elements of acting, dancing, singing, songs, stories and dialogues. It is widely performed in Terengganu, Patani, Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis as well as at the Islands of Riau in Indonesia and Pattani of Southern Thailand.\nMak Yong is believed to be originated from the Malay Palace in Pattani about 400 years ago before making its way to the East Coast of Peninsular Nakatsua. In the 1920’s, Mak Yong was performed under the patronage of Kelantan Sultanate and therefore has assimilated the luxury of palace-style decorated costumes.\nUnfortunately, Mak Yong was banned by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party in 1991 under the allegation of animist and Hindu-Buddhist roots. The status of Mak Yong was recognized internationally after UNESCO declared Mak Yong as an"Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in 2005.\nThe performance often opens with the song “Mengadap Rebab,” followed with dancing and singing accompanied by traditional musical composition. There are twelve main stories in a Mak Yong performance: Dewa Muda, Dewa Pencil, Dewa Sakti, Dewa Panah, Raja Indera Dewa, Endeng Tejeli (Anak Raja Gondang, Batak Raja Gondang, Raja Bongsu Sakti), Raja Tangkai Hati, Gading Bertimang, Raja Muda Lakleng, Raja Muda Lembek, Raja Besar dalam Negeri Ho Gading and Bentara Muda. In general, the stories are derived from local folktales about kings, deities and comic characters. Mak Yong has also been associated with traditional medicinal purposes in which shamans attempt to cure possessed patients through singing and dancing in ritualistic trance.\nEach story needs a duration of three hours to be fully performed. Most Mak Yong characters are played by female actors and is performed on a center stage surrounded by the audience. Audience sit around the three sides of the stage, while the fourth side is reserved for the musicians.

Mak Yong Traditional Theatre is normally portrayed as a Malay dance drama that contains acting, dancing and singing. There is a consensus that Mak Yong originated from the ancestry of the Kelantan-Patani Government, and said to have established around 400 years ago at the Malay sultanate palace of Kelantan-Patani. Then it spred to the states of Terengganu and Kedah after which it settled at Serdang Muda, Sumatera and Riau Islands, Indonesia. A Mak Yong traditional performance does not use lots of props, set and background to portray a scene. Its performance structure is permanent and uniform although the storyline is different. A traditional performance in villages is held in an open theatre. The audiences sit on three sides while the fourth side is for musicians. Most characters are acted by women and the storylines are based on traditional folk stories. The Buka Panggung (literally translated as ‘Opening the Theatre’) ceremony starts a performance followed by the story plot and ends with the Tutup Panggung (or ‘Closing the Theatre’) ceremony. In the Buka Panggung ceremony the performance begins with the Mengadap Rebab segment, that is paying homage to the rebab (oud), the main musical instrument regarded as a chaste element in a performance. The actor who plays the Peran Tua character, that is the Elder Joker, pays homage to the oud and places it in the middle of the theatre while Jong Dongdang sings the song ‘San Gendang’. The actors who play the characters of Pak Yong, Mak Yong and Jong Dongdang stand in a circle while the maidens sing the song ‘Sedayung Mak Yong’ or the song ‘Sedara’. At the end of the song Pak Yong instructs the maidens to return to the palace, and this marks the end of the segment. The main characters are Pak Yong, Mak Yong, the King, Queen, Elder Joker and Junior Joker. There are also other characters like the Royal Soothsayer, Ship Captain, Guru, soldiers, genie, ghost and giant, depending on the storyline. The main musical instruments are a three-string oud, two drums and two gongs. There are also additional instruments to increase the degree of the melodious sound like cymbal, small bells and flute. In the year 2005 Mak Yong was recognised and proclaimed as “A Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by the United Nation Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). In the year 2008 Mak Yong was proclaimed as A Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Mak Yong Traditional Theatre is normally portrayed as a Malay dance drama that contains acting, dancing and singing. There is a consensus that Mak Yong originated from the ancestry of the Kelantan-Patani Government, and said to have established around 400 years ago at the Malay sultanate palace of Kelantan-Patani. Then it spred to the states of Terengganu and Kedah after which it settled at Serdang Muda, Sumatera and Riau Islands, Indonesia. A Mak Yong traditional performance does not use lots of props, set and background to portray a scene. Its performance structure is permanent and uniform although the storyline is different. A traditional performance in villages is held in an open theatre. The audiences sit on three sides while the fourth side is for musicians. Most characters are acted by women and the storylines are based on traditional folk stories. The Buka Panggung (literally translated as ‘Opening the Theatre’) ceremony starts a performance followed by the story plot and ends with the Tutup Panggung (or ‘Closing the Theatre’) ceremony. In the Buka Panggung ceremony the performance begins with the Mengadap Rebab segment, that is paying homage to the rebab (oud), the main musical instrument regarded as a chaste element in a performance. The actor who plays the Peran Tua character, that is the Elder Joker, pays homage to the oud and places it in the middle of the theatre while Jong Dongdang sings the song ‘San Gendang’. The actors who play the characters of Pak Yong, Mak Yong and Jong Dongdang stand in a circle while the maidens sing the song ‘Sedayung Mak Yong’ or the song ‘Sedara’. At the end of the song Pak Yong instructs the maidens to return to the palace, and this marks the end of the segment. The main characters are Pak Yong, Mak Yong, the King, Queen, Elder Joker and Junior Joker. There are also other characters like the Royal Soothsayer, Ship Captain, Guru, soldiers, genie, ghost and giant, depending on the storyline. The main musical instruments are a three-string oud, two drums and two gongs. There are also additional instruments to increase the degree of the melodious sound like cymbal, small bells and flute. In the year 2005 Mak Yong was recognised and proclaimed as “A Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by the United Nation Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). In the year 2008 Mak Yong was proclaimed as A Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.\nComprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to having a compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, love and politics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behaviour, notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day, elders refer to this time-honoured text in the administration of customary law.\nMeaning literally “to narrate in song”, the Darangen existed before the Islamization of the Philippines in the fourteenth century and is part of a wider epic culture connected to early Sanskrit traditions extending through most of Mindanao.\nSpecialized female and male performers sing the Darangen during wedding celebrations that typically last several nights. Performers must possess a prodigious memory, improvisational skills, poetic imagination, knowledge of customary law and genealogy, a flawless and elegant vocal technique, and the ability to engage an audience during long hours of performance. Music and dance sometimes accompany the chanting.

The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.\nComprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to having a compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, love and politics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behaviour, notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day, elders refer to this time-honoured text in the administration of customary law.\nMeaning literally “to narrate in song”, the Darangen existed before the Islamization of the Philippines in the fourteenth century and is part of a wider epic culture connected to early Sanskrit traditions extending through most of Mindanao.\nSpecialized female and male performers sing the Darangen during wedding celebrations that typically last several nights. Performers must possess a prodigious memory, improvisational skills, poetic imagination, knowledge of customary law and genealogy, a flawless and elegant vocal technique, and the ability to engage an audience during long hours of performance. Music and dance sometimes accompany the chanting.

Maqom is the system of melodic modes used in traditional music of eastern peoples. Maqom and maqomat (the science of maqom) is the phenomenon of spiritual culture of Cenral Asia and more generally – of the people of the East. Though, its artistic and historical value can be felt much beyond the region, where it was widely spread. As a highly developed musical genre, throughout many centuries of its existence, it became a key component in defining the idea of classical music of the East. Maqom is art and philosophic belief, which encourages spiritual nourishment and self-perfection, contemplation and enjoyment of heavenly beauty, which is expressed through sounds of music and poetry. For the people of the East it became national artistic heritage, which in many ways reflects ethnic mentality. Maqomat of Uzbekistan, at present, includes maqom cycles of "Shashmaqom", "Khoresm maqoms", "Ferghana-Tashkent maqoms", local maqom cycles, instrumental and vocal maqom pieces as well as maqom pieces of bastakors (composers). Each of these has its own peculiarities and performance styles.\n

Maqom is the system of melodic modes used in traditional music of eastern peoples. Maqom and maqomat (the science of maqom) is the phenomenon of spiritual culture of Cenral Asia and more generally – of the people of the East. Though, its artistic and historical value can be felt much beyond the region, where it was widely spread. As a highly developed musical genre, throughout many centuries of its existence, it became a key component in defining the idea of classical music of the East. Maqom is art and philosophic belief, which encourages spiritual nourishment and self-perfection, contemplation and enjoyment of heavenly beauty, which is expressed through sounds of music and poetry. For the people of the East it became national artistic heritage, which in many ways reflects ethnic mentality. Maqomat of Uzbekistan, at present, includes maqom cycles of "Shashmaqom", "Khoresm maqoms", "Ferghana-Tashkent maqoms", local maqom cycles, instrumental and vocal maqom pieces as well as maqom pieces of bastakors (composers). Each of these has its own peculiarities and performance styles.\n

Maqom is the system of melodic modes used in traditional music of eastern peoples. Maqom and maqomat (the science of maqom) is the phenomenon of spiritual culture of Cenral Asia and more generally – of the people of the East. Though, its artistic and historical value can be felt much beyond the region, where it was widely spread. As a highly developed musical genre, throughout many centuries of its existence, it became a key component in defining the idea of classical music of the East. Maqom is art and philosophic belief, which encourages spiritual nourishment and self-perfection, contemplation and enjoyment of heavenly beauty, which is expressed through sounds of music and poetry. For the people of the East it became national artistic heritage, which in many ways reflects ethnic mentality. Maqomat of Uzbekistan, at present, includes maqom cycles of "Shashmaqom", "Khoresm maqoms", "Ferghana-Tashkent maqoms", local maqom cycles, instrumental and vocal maqom pieces as well as maqom pieces of bastakors (composers). Each of these has its own peculiarities and performance styles.\n

Maqom is the system of melodic modes used in traditional music of eastern peoples. Maqom and maqomat (the science of maqom) is the phenomenon of spiritual culture of Cenral Asia and more generally – of the people of the East. Though, its artistic and historical value can be felt much beyond the region, where it was widely spread. As a highly developed musical genre, throughout many centuries of its existence, it became a key component in defining the idea of classical music of the East. Maqom is art and philosophic belief, which encourages spiritual nourishment and self-perfection, contemplation and enjoyment of heavenly beauty, which is expressed through sounds of music and poetry. For the people of the East it became national artistic heritage, which in many ways reflects ethnic mentality. Maqomat of Uzbekistan, at present, includes maqom cycles of "Shashmaqom", "Khoresm maqoms", "Ferghana-Tashkent maqoms", local maqom cycles, instrumental and vocal maqom pieces as well as maqom pieces of bastakors (composers). Each of these has its own peculiarities and performance styles.\n