| James Kon |
MORE than 400 performers, comprising students and youth, conjured up a thrilling performance yesterday morning for His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and members of the royal family during the get-together ceremony with Brunei-Muara District residents at the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien.
The special 18-minute performance, themed Raja Berdaulat Rakyat Bahagia, was divided into three segments.
The first was a creative moving portrait signifying the people’s love for the monarch, made up of traditional dances involving two groups of 60 dancers comprising students from primary schools. This performance was accompanied by the song Zapin dan Retak Inang.
The second segment involved 65 performers consisting students from higher education institutions and primary schools in the country.
The students, wearing bright and colourful attire representing the country’s various ethnic groups and donning elaborate headdresses, delivered an energetic performance using umbrella props, which symbolised shielding the monarch.
This second part of the performance was also meant to portray the hope of the nation’s youth, their strong national identity, and drive to always stand ready to fight for the country’s sovereignty.
The performance’s grand finale and third segment saw all performers on stage and dancing to the special song for His Majesty’s 72nd birthday celebrations. Playing the song, written by Hans Annuar and sung by Sri Nazrina binti Haji Johari, were 35 choir members from government secondary schools.
Commenting on the performances, Haji Suhaili bin Haji Moktar, the Director of the performances, said, “We already started practising before Ramadhan, and we had proper practices after Hari Raya. Before the fasting month, the performers were already practising with their trainers. The final result is the brilliant performance that you see today.
“We are happy to be able to perform for His Majesty’s 72nd birthday celebrations, and we are confident that our performance went smoothly.
“I would also like to express my thanks to the trainers, creative team and live dancers. During our full dress rehearsal in the run up to the actual event, the performers have also been commended and thanked for their hard work by the Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of the National Executive Committee for His Majesty’s 72nd Birthday Celebration Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong.”