The Nusantara Archipelago Centre for Performing Arts (2019-2023)
Members
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Kipli Abdul Rahman (Indigenous Traditions) Leader
Prof. Dr. Mohd. Hassan bin Abdullah (Ethnomusicology)
Dr. Lena Farida Hussain Chin (Bangsawan & Indigenous Traditions)
Dr. Patricia Ann Hardwick (Mak Yong & Asian Traditional Theatre)
Dr. Muhammad Fazli Taib Saearani (Traditional Court Dance)
Dr. Kamarulzaman Mohd. Karim (Malay Traditional Music)
Dr. Fara Dayana Mohd. Jufry (Wayang Kulit Kelantan)
Dr. Wong Huey Yi @ Colleen (Court Music Traditions)
Mr. Abdul Hamid Chan (Sabah Traditional & Folk Dance)
Mr. Amsalib bin Pisali (Indigenous Traditions)
Mission Statement:
To preserve, study, and innovate the diverse performing arts traditions of the Nusantara Archipelago through interdisciplinary research, artistic practice, and community engagement, fostering regional cultural identity and educational excellence.
Core Research Clusters:
Traditional Performance & Oral Heritage
- Ethnographic studies of ritual, theatre, dance, and music
- Documentation of endangered forms (e.g., Bangsawan, Mak Yong, Wayang Kulit, Kuda Kepang)
- Oral storytelling, pantun, mantera, and performance texts
Intercultural & Syncretic Performance Practices
- Research on hybrid forms (e.g., Bangsawan, Mak Yong, Wayang Kulit, Indigenous Traditions)
- Influence of Islamic, Hindu-Buddhist, colonial, and global aesthetics
- Dialogues between indigenous and diasporic performance
To achieve its objectives, The Nusantara Archipelago Centre for Performing Arts will engage in three primary activities:
Research and Documentation
The Centre will conduct interdisciplinary research to document, archive, and analyse the diverse performing arts traditions of the Nusantara region. This includes fieldwork, oral history collection, ethnographic studies, and the creation of digital and physical repositories for future scholarly access and preservation efforts.
Artistic Practice and Innovation
By fostering collaborations between traditional artists, contemporary practitioners, and academic researchers, the Centre will serve as a platform for the reinterpretation and revitalisation of heritage forms. This includes staging experimental performances, workshops, artist residencies, and festivals that promote innovation while honouring cultural roots.
Education and Community Engagement
The Centre will develop educational programs, training modules, and outreach initiatives that integrate performing arts into both formal and informal learning environments. Through partnerships with local communities, schools, universities, and cultural institutions, the Centre aims to empower the next generation of artists, educators, and cultural advocates.
SIG ACTIVITIES
Research Projects
Mohd. Kipli bin Abdul Rahman (Ketua Penyelidik)
Merangka Pemerkasaan Jati Diri Etnik Bajau Melalui Pengalaman Communitas Liminality Teater Ritual Igal Untuk Kelestarian Warisan
2019 | FRGS | Nasional
Mohd. Hassan bin Abdullah (Ketua Penyelidik)
Analisis Muzikologi Ensembel Muzik Bertitik Kaum Bajau Samah di Persisir Pantai Sabah
2019 | FRGS | Nasional
Muhammad Fazli Taib bin Saearani (Ketua Penyelidik)
Kompetensi Pedagogi Jurulatih Tari Istana Melayu di Sekolah Menengah Seni Johor
2019 | GPU | Universiti
Wong Huey Yo @ Colleen Wong (Ketua Penyelidik)
Implementing Malay Gamelan Module Through Digitalization
2020 | GPU | Universiti
Patricia Ann Hardwick (Ketua Penyelidik)
Sustaining Sustainability – Fundamental Research of Strategies of Resilience and Adaptive Management in Malaysian Performing Arts
2020 | FRGS | Nasional
Fara Dayana binti Mohd Jufry (Ketua Penyelidik)
Segmen Pecah Cerita Makyung Sebagai Cerminan Adab Melayu Kelantan Dalam Membina Hubungan Sosial
2020 | FRGS | Nasional
Clare Chan Suet Ching (Ketua Penyelidik)
Producing, Publishing and Streaming the Music of the Semai and Jakun Malaysia
2020 | Industri| Swasta
Patricia Ann Hardwick (Ketua Penyelidik)
Malaysian Folktales for the World: Inscribing Kelantanse Mak Yong Narratives
2020 | GPPWM| Universiti
Abdul Hamid bin Chan (Ketua Penyelidik)
Penciptaan Semula Tradisi Tari Rakyat Dabus Negeri Perak
2020 | GPPWM| Universiti
Lena Farida binti Hussain Chin (Ketua Penyelidik)
Bangsawan: Pelestarian Warisan Tradisi Persembahan Lama
2020 | GPPWM| Universiti
Lena Farida binti Hussain Chin (Ketua Penyelidik)
Formulasi Elemen Tradisi Asal Bangsawan Secara Etnografi dan Historikal Bagi Melestarikan Warisan Budaya Tidak Ketara
2021 | FRGS | Nasional
Muhammad Fali Taib bin Saearani (Ketua Penyelidik)
Pembinaan Model Digitalisasi Mek Mulung Untuk Pelestarian Warisan Seni Budaya
2021 | FRGS | Nasional
Patricia Ann Hardwick (Ketua Penyelidik)
Pendigitilan Dokumentasi Cerita dan Lagu Mak Yong
2021 | Geran Agensi Kerajaan| Nasional
Amsalib bin Pisali (Ketua Penyelidik)
Pembangunan Model Drama Naratif Sakral dalam Ritual Magombok Masyarakat Bajau Laut Sebagai Pelestarian Warisan
2022 | FRGS| Nasional
The rebranding from The Nusantara Archipelago Centre for Performing Arts to Performing Arts and Traditions Research Affinity (PATRA) reflects a strategic repositioning from place-based heritage documentation to an inclusive, collaborative, and forward-looking research network dedicated to the study, practice, and pedagogy of diverse performing arts traditions across Asia and beyond.
- Broadening the Scope Beyond Geography
- Refocusing on Research Affinity and Collaboration
Clarifying Thematic Emphasis - Improving Accessibility and Recognition