Joget (
Jawi: جوڬيت) is a traditional
Malay dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
that originated in
Malacca
Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has bee ...
. It was influenced by the
Portuguese dance of
Branyo which is believed to have been spread to Malacca during the
spice trade. In Malacca, it is better known as ''Chakunchak''. The dance is one of the most popular folk dances in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
and normally performed by couples in cultural festivals, weddings and other social functions. Joget also grew in popularity within the Malay community in Singapore after its introduction in 1942.
The dance is of the Portuguese roots and is accompanied by an ensemble consisting of; a
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
of
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. , a knobbed
gong
A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
of
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, a ''
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...
'' (optional) and at least two ''
rebana'' or ''
gendang'' of
Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. Maritime Southeast Asia is sometimes also referred to as Island Southeast Asia, Insular Southeast Asia or Oceanic Sout ...
. The tempo of Joget music is fairly quick with the feeling of teasing and playing between the partners. The music emphasizes duple- and triple-beat division, both in alternation and simultaneously, and sung in the northeast Malaysia style.
One of the most popular type of Joget is called "Joget Lambak" and usually performed by a large crowd together in social functions.
In Indonesia, the term 'joget' is usually applied to any form of popular street dance, such as that to
dangdut music
Joget an open source workflow software built in Malaysia, is named after this dance.
Sri Lankan Kaffiringna music style and Joget has some related melodic variations,both styles are having a Portuguese influence ,
Sri Lankan musicologist Ruwin Dias from the university of performing arts has done a research about the similarities in Kaffiringna and Joget .
References
Malay dances
Malay culture
Malaysian culture
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