Asyik (literally "beloved"/"besotted") is a classical royal court dance popular in

Patani Patani Darussalam ( Bahasa Malayu Arabic : , also sometimes Patani Raya or Patani Besar, "Greater Patani"; th, ปาตานี) is a historical region in the Malay peninsula. It includes the southern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala (Jal ...

and

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in t ...

. According to Hikayat Patani, the dance was created in 1644 to entertain the grieving Ratu Kuning over the loss of her favorite bird. The dance’s name "the beloved" could have been referring to the lost bird. The performance begins with ten beautifully costumed dancers entering the dancing hall and sitting gracefully. The prima donna, also known as ''Puteri Asyik'' ("the princess of love") will then appear and the dance begins with gracious and delicate body movements and gestures. The orchestra of the dance consists of eleven types of ''gedombak asyik'' (a small

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

), ''gambang'' (a

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

-like instrument, usually made of slabs of wood or bronze), and a ''rebab'' (a bowed

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

). Although it begins as a court dance, over time, the dance became popular among common people and used as folk entertainment during festivals and marriages.

References

Malay dances Malay culture Malaysian culture {{Malaysia-stub