R.A.M Introduction

Ronggeng Anak Malaysia or R.A.M. is a newly established dance group. Our vision is:

1. To promote, educate and teach the variety of traditional Malaysian dances to the young generations of Malaysians who are studying or residing in New Zealand.
2. To create a fun and healthy way of spending leisure time.
3. To bridge gaps between the different groups of students who are studying in Christchurch.
4. At the same time to promote our culture to New Zealanders, and create a better understanding of the diversity of culture that now exist in this country.

The group is now made up of 40 members, and the numbers are still growing. Most members are Malaysian Students who are studying in the University of Canterbury. We are looking at expanding our membership to other community members in the future.

At the moment, we are meeting once a week (Friday 7 – 9 pm or Saturday 10 am – 1 pm) in the garage of 11A Rudleigh Ave, Ilam for practices. So far we have covered a few different Malay traditional dances, including the indigenous (Sarawak) dance, also the Chinese and Indian dances.

We have been working hard at creating our own costumes and stage props from scratch, using very basic materials. The end product has been amazing and something we are very proud of. We are hoping this would teach our members to be more creative, but at the same time, we are also looking for sponsors to help some of our financial burdens in running the club. The money that we raise will be used towards making and maintaining the props and costumes, for rental of dance venues for practices and for clerical management of the club. Sponsors will be mentioned in our dance programs or promoted through our pamphlets and performances.