CHOREOGRAPHIC TRANSFORMATION IN ZAPIN KASIH: A STUDY OF MOVEMENT MOTIFS THROUGH ALMA HAWKINS' CREATIVE PROCESS
CHOREOGRAPHIC TRANSFORMATION IN ZAPIN KASIH: A STUDY OF MOVEMENT MOTIFS THROUGH ALMA HAWKINS' CREATIVE PROCESS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56107/ijpa.v3i1.258Keywords:
Zapin Kasih, choreography, Alma Hawkins, creative process, artistic researchAbstract
This study examines the creation process of the Zapin Kasih dance choreography through the
theoretical lens of Alma Hawkins' creative stages. The research aims to identify how exploration,
improvisation, composition, and evaluation operate as creative strategies in developing traditional
Zapin movements into innovative choreographic forms. Using qualitative artistic research methods,
data were collected through rehearsal observations, interviews with choreographer Yusnizar
Heniwati, and performance documentation. The results indicate that Hawkins' framework effectively
supports the transformation of traditional Zapin vocabulary—tahto, langkah dua, alif, and meniti
batang —into six new movement motifs. Each stage of the creative process reflects different layers
of artistic decision-making: exploration of cultural symbols ( sarongs ), improvisation of bodily
responses, composition of rhythmic sequences, and evaluation of aesthetic and cultural coherence.
These findings suggest that Hawkins' theory not only guides artistic creation but also mediates
between heritage preservation and contemporary innovation. This study contributes to the
understanding of practice-as-research methodology in dance, particularly in the context of
traditional Southeast Asian arts, where choreography functions as both an artistic output and a
cultural inquiry.
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