Makyung is a form of Malay traditional dance

theatre combining acting, dance, singing, drama,

romance and comedy in a single presentation.
This form of dance theatre is believed to be
originated from the old Malay Kingdom -
stretching from the Patani region of southern
Thailand through Kelantan, a north eastern state
of West Malaysia.
 The art ofMakyung performance is handed
down through the generations, whose
teaching were memorised by a handful of
actors, musicians and comedians.
One of the unique features of this dance
theatre is that the main characters are all
women, and the men play the peripheral
characters to add humour and side relief to
its intricate web of multiple plots.
 Most roles are performed by women.
The performing troupe usually has four leading actresses
who play the parts:
King, the Hero, the Queen and the Heroine.
Female actors played the roles of the court attendants or
even the roles of prince as well as princesses.
The men were usually given the parts as of
The comedians
Ogres or demons.
Two of these men would play lead comedians, while the
others would act in a supporting roles.
 A typical Makyung performance opens with an
offering followed by,
dances,
Acting
music
as well as improvised monologues
dialogues.
A single story can be presented over several
consecutive nights in a series of three-hour
performances.
 In the traditional village setting, the performances are held
on a temporary open stage build of wood and palm leaves.
The audience sits on three sides of the stage.
The fourth side being reserved for the orchestra consisting
of the
Rebab (a three-stringed spiked fiddle),
a pair ofGendang (double-headed barrel drums)
Tetawak (a pair of hanging knobbed gongs).
The stories in Makyung are based on ancient Malay folk
tales consist of royal characters, divinities and clowns.
Makyung is also associated with rituals in which shamans
attempt to heal through song, trance-dance and spirit
possession.
 A favourite form of entertainment in the
palace courtyard of Kelantan and Patani.
Makyung was often performed for members
of the Royal family and aristocrats.
However, it wasnt until the beginning of the
19th century that the court performance
of Makyung was made available to the
public as well.
 MAK YONG RITUAL
There are two ritualistic performances in Makyung theatre.
The opening
and closing sections of the play are the only parts that
contain these rituals.
In the case of multiple performances, each troupe would
need to conduct their own individual offerings.
The origins of Makyungs rituals are rooted within an
animistic beliefs framework.
Over the course of time, these rituals witness the influence
of Islam as practitioners are mostly Muslims themselves.
 MAK YONG TYPE OF SPACE

Mak Yong used to be performed outdoors in the space

known as Bangsal
a heightened platform/ proscenium stage with
audience facing one side of the stage.
Normally, these outdoors performances for the general
public.
Indoor performance is also possible, for court
performances and recently various social events.
 In general, the nature of stage space has not been
standardised.
The performance of Mak Yong does not require
specific stage space as the nature of the performance
could be flexible.
The space/ soil upon which the platform is built
should be cleansed by the troupe leader who is
normally the Peran Tua or any other appropriate
individual.
MAK YONG TYPE OF SPACE
INSIDE THE COURT
MODERN SPACE
 STAGE SETTING
There is no backdrop in a Makyung performance.
Very often, the same backdrop will symbolise a general
setting of the entire play.
There are no set changes from the beginning till the
end of the performance.
This reflects the symbolic / anti-realism nature of the
play.
 ACTOR
PAK YONG
PERAN TUA DAN MUDA
THE WISE MAN
PRINCESS
COURT ATTENDANT
MAK YONG PROPS
ROTAN BERAI
WOOD DAGGER
 DANCE AND DANCER
There are various dances in the play.
For instance, during Menghadap Rebab, only thePak
Yong, Mak Yong and Jung Dondang take part.
In Sedayung Mak Yong, the queen will sing, whose
dance is accompanied by the rest during that
particular section.
Other dance sections include wedding ceremonies,
various specific character dances of the play such as
those by the Pak Yong, Peran Tua and Peran Muda.
MENGADAP REBAB
SEDAYUNG MAK YUNG
 ACTING AND TECHNIQUE
OF MAK YONG
The acting technique employed
in Makyung performances is mainly based on
improvisation.
There is no script for the dialogue.
MAK YONG REPERTOIRE
There are 15 stories:

Dewa Muda
Dewa Pecil
Raja Besar Senyanya
Endeng Tejeli
Anak Raja Gondang
Raja Bongsu Sakti
Gading Bertimang
Raja Tangkai Hati
 Dewa Indera Indera Dewa
Raja Dua Serupa
Raja Muda Lakleng
Dewa Panah
Raja Muda Lembik
Raja Besar
Raja Timun Muda
 MAK YONG TEXT
Traditionally, there are no actual written scripts for the Mak
Yong Theatre.
The texts, referring to scripts and songs, are handed down orally,
similar to most Asian traditional theatre.
However, when Mak Yong was adopted into the academia, scripts
began to exist mainly for teaching and studying purposes.
There are two textual concepts in the play. 'Ucap Tetap are fixed
dialogues whereby the texts are standardised in all the plays
utilising old classic Kelantanese language and is not colloquial.
The other textual concept are non-standardised dialogues and
songs that could be varied by the actors.
The latter textual concept could consist of simpler texts based on
current street language which is less formal in nature.
 MAK YONG PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE STRUCTURE
( IN SEQUENCE )
Performance structure (in sequence) :
Bertabuh
Menghadap Rebab
Sedayung Pak Yong
Sedayung Mak Yong
Pak Yong summoning Peran Tua
Peran Tua summoning Peran Muda
Pecah Cerita
The End
 The performance structure here refers to the narrative
of the play which excludes Buka Panggung and Tutup
Panggung which are standardised performance rituals.
The Buka Panggung are not necessarily an opened
performance for the public. It is much more elaborated
compared to Tutup Panggung in which the audience
get to view but may not necessarily comprehend.
 MAK YONG SONG
Music in Mak Yong consists of songs - accompanied vocal,
and purely instrumental music.
The songs function to explain the content of the Mak
Yongs narrative, introducing the characters and various
dramatic and theatrical elements.
Instrumental music is purely incidental to portray various
dramatic moods as well as accompaniment to various
dances.
The opening music known as Lagu Bertabuh, functions as
an overture, a form of instrumental warm up and
indication of the beginning of the performance - a call to
performance.
MAK YONG INSTRUMENT
REBAB
GENDANG IBU DAN ANAK
TETAWAK IBU DAN ANAK
 MAK YONG TYPE OF DANCE
A Mak Yong performance often begins with Lagu
Menghadap Rebab which is an opening song for the
performance and ends with any optional dance such as
Tarian Ragam (for a wedding scene or a happy
ending).
MENGADAP REBAB
MAK YONG MOVEMENT AND GESTURE
The movement postion of a Makyung dance is primarily
influenced by and related to the natural environment as
well as its surroundings.
This movement position when integrated with the
movement of the head, torso and legs form the basis
of Makyung movement repertoire as listed below:
Duduk bersila tangan sembah (Anjali)
Tangan susun sirih
Tangan burung terbang
Tangan gajah lambung belalai
Tangan ular sawa mengorak lingkaran
 Tangan seludang menolak mayang
Tangan sulur memain angin
Tangan liuk kiri longlai ke kanan
Berdiri di tapak tiga mengadap ke timur jaga
Tangan sirih layah dijunjung
Kirat penghabisan
Langkah turun dari kayangan
Langkah naik ke kayangan
Pak Yong berjalan