KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Since the release of Jodoh Lebaran by Aisha Retno, the song has become one of the most popular Hari Raya Aidilfitri tracks this year. People of all ages, dressed either in baju Melayu or baju kurung and kebaya have joined in, creating and sharing videos of their own interpretations of the traditional joget dance moves set to the song’s catchy rhythm – many of which have gone viral on social media.

This trend of recreating the traditional Malay dance featured by the young singer in her music video has also witnessed a cultural revival among Gen Z.

One standout moment was a 32-second video by three friends from the freelance dance group Nyala Dance Theatre. Showcasing energetic zapin and joget movements, the clip garnered 2.3 million views and 178,400 likes on TikTok.

The trio – Muhammad Ammar Alexander Mohd Sufian, 17; Muhammad Hafizman Haqeem Mohammad Ariff, 26; and Muhammad Azrai Mohd Shamsol Bahri, 24 – received widespread praise from netizens, who see them as torchbearers of cultural continuity.

For Muhammad Ammar Alexander, or Alex, his passion for traditional dance began when he was just six years old, influenced by his family members who were also active in dance.

“My family, including my parents, are dancers, so I naturally followed in their footsteps. Watching the movements, I thought, ‘Wow, that’s so cool,’ because every dance actually tells its own story,” he told Bernama.

Alex, who is preparing to sit for his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam this year and aspires to pursue a career in information technology, is determined to continue championing traditional arts to ensure that their techniques and cultural identity are not lost to time.

“I don’t want traditional dance to be forgotten in the future. This is something we should be proud of… we must appreciate the heritage passed down by our ancestors,” he said.

For Muhammad Hafizman Haqeem, traditional dance is more than just a hobby. He said it serves as a form of mental therapy alongside his busy role as a human resources specialist at a firm in Petaling Jaya.

A graduate in Business Management from Universiti Putra Malaysia, he also hopes to challenge the stereotype that male dancers are “soft”.

“We want to break the stigma that men have to be ‘soft’ to dance. We want to show what masculine dance style really looks like… that we are not the softies some people think we are,” he said.

For Muhammad Azrai, their collaboration serves as a powerful way to strengthen bonds despite coming from diverse educational and professional backgrounds.

Having started dancing at 18, he also leverages social media to educate audiences about the richness of traditional dance, often using the comments section to share insights and deepen viewers’ understanding of Malay cultural heritage.

“Young people today are becoming more interested in traditional dance and want to learn more about our cultural roots,” said the Creative Multimedia graduate. — Bernama