ABSTRACT. This panel explores the relationship between performance cultures and a sense of well-being, community building, and social belonging among diasporic Korean communities in Europe, the U.S., and South Korea. Drawing upon ethnographic research as a core methodology, three papers in this panel demonstrate how and why Korean migrants engage themselves with various music and dances distinctively. Why have particular performance cultures been adapted to and seen as adequate and necessary for the lives of particular Koreans and their well-being and social belonging? The first presentation by Dokyung Joo features the widely practiced outdoor dancing activities among Korean Chinese who are the return migrants in South Korea. By investigating these Koreans’ engagement in and love for outdoor dancing, Joo exemplifies how dance helps the migrants mitigate the cultural and social distance they experience in relocating to their ancestral homeland after being born and spending extensive time in China. Ri Choi’s paper investigates the influence of K-pop on the Korean community in Hawaiʻi and its significance for both collective and individual well-being of Koreans within the context of an expanding spectrum of Korean migrants in Hawaiʻi. By examining the connections between K-pop and traditional Korean music and dance, Choi shows how amateur musicians and the community as a whole leverage the popularity of Korean popular culture to promote Korean heritage in Hawaiʻi. Finally, Hyunah Cho’s paper delves into the experiences of Korean international students in the U.K. and their engagement with music and dance to navigate cultural transition and secure a sense of belonging in the context of temporary migration. Cho calls attention to how these students carve out safe spaces within university environments, utilizing music and dance as sources of comfort and familiarity and how that assists the students’ well-being.

Paper 1 Title: Dance as a Way of Well-being and Social Mingling among Korean Chinese Elders Residing in South Korea

Dance is a way of well-being and social interaction among Korean Chinese elders residing in South Korea. Korean Chinese elders have established several amateur dance groups and many of them dance in outdoor public spaces. Korean Chinese elders dance mainly for two reasons: health and leisure. They believe dance enhances both mental and physical well-being—memorizing movements may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease; moving the body can be an exercise. Dance is also conceived as a good way of pastime. After working hard in the early days, Korean Chinese elders have desires to enjoy the rest of their lives. Dance also embodies the ethnic and national identity of Korean Chinese, reflecting their experiences in China. Accustomed to state-organized groups and collective activities in China, Korean Chinese have formed their own groups and activities after they moved to Korea. It is also due to limited access to South Korean senior centers and differences in dance styles. In China, Korean Chinese, classified as an ethnic minority, have encountered challenges in integrating into mainstream society. They have sought to confirm their presence through artistic expressions rather than political-economic ones. In Korea, where they are perceived as minorities as foreign immigrants from China, Korean Chinese express themselves through singing and dancing. Dance not only fosters bonding within Korean Chinese migrant community but also creates avenues for social interactions between South Koreans and Korean Chinese. While most dance group members are Korean Chinese, there are dance groups welcoming South Koreans and ethnic Han members. Dance enables inter-ethnic communications by way of bodily gestures rather than verbal language. Apparently, using dance as a medium, Korean Chinese create opportunities to socialize not only within their own community but also with South Koreans and ethnic Hans for their successful relocation in Korea.

Paper 2 Title: Transformation of ‘Korean Music’ of the Hawai‘i-Korean (American) Society: K-Pop Influence in Amateur Traditional Music Making

While traditional music, particularly nongak (Korean farmer’s music) and samulnori (four-instrument-ensemble), has long served as representative cultures creating solidarity within the Hawai‘i-Korean (American) society and demarcating ethnic boundaries in relation to other ethnic societies, the recent global popularity of K-Pop has reshaped the notion of ‘Korean music’ in Hawai‘i. This study examines the impact of K-Pop on Hawai‘i-Korean traditional music-making and discusses how Hawai‘i-Korean immigrant society is riding the success of K-Pop to their advantage. Drawing upon my ten months of field research of the Hawaii Gogo Janggu ensemble and the Korean Festival, and based on my nearly ten years of experiences as a Korean international student in Hawai‘i, I discuss how amateur traditional musicians mediate and create a new style by fusing traditional Korean music and K-Pop in reflecting a new musical trend. Gogo Janggu has recently begun to gain popularity in Hawai‘i Korean musical community, particularly among the elderly. It is a genre that uses newly created jangdan (rhythmic patterns) on the janggu (hourglass-shaped drum), often accompanying K-pop or trot pieces. Amateur musicians and their participation in cultural festivals such as the Korean Festival, which is the biggest ethnic festival held by Hawaiʻi Korean Chamber of Commerce (HKCC), have not only shown how migrants maintain, foster, present, share, and confirm their ethnic culture but also how they expand and rewrite their ethnic culture by way of incorporating new and contemporary cultural elements such as K-Pop. In-the Hawaiʻi-Korean society, music has played a critical role in shaping the construction of Korean cultural identity and emphasizing collective values among Hawai‘i-Koreans. This inclination for such musical transformation contemporizes Korean cultural identity, making it more attractive and inclusive to a wider local audience, and aligns with the trajectory of enhancing the societal well-being of the Korean community within Hawai‘i’s diverse, multi-ethnic society.

Paper 3 Title: “I feel safe when I listen to Korean music!”: Musical Engagement and Subjective Well-being amongst Korean International Students in the U.K.

By addressing the research question, “How do Korean international students engage in music for their own well-being in the U.K.?”, this study aims to understand a group of international students’ experiences of their temporary migrantion and the coping mechanisms they employ in the pursuit of subjective well-being in response to these experiences. After semi-structured interviews, the thematic analysis resulted in five themes: (1) music as a tongbanja 동반자 (companion), (2) music as a safe konggan 공간 (space), (3) music for gwangye 관계 (relationships), (4) music for gamjeong 감정 (emotion), and (5) musical demands of international students. For Korean students in the U.K., music serves as an unwavering companion in their daily lives, providing them with a safe space to feel the sense of security of those students who want it. Music has been also used to build new relationships in the host country, maintain old relationships with their family and friends in Korea, and reconstitute those relationships . In the context of temporary migration, music provides the most accessible and immediate way to lift and regulate their emotions. The students turn to music to immerse themselves in a particular emotional state to reinforce positive feelings. My research findings, thus, lead to discussions of music as: ‘being’ a companion and safe space, and ‘doing’ and ‘helping’ relationships and moods, even ‘re-membering’ the relationships and feelings associated with music such as K-pop, the students listened to. By analyzing and sharing the interview data, this study intends to add depth to the understanding of musical engagement of Korean international students in the U.K. and how music is used mitigate the challenges they face while contributing to enhancing their subjective well-being.

4. Discussion

ABSTRACT. Translation of traditional music and dance presents multifaceted challenges rooted in linguistic, cultural, and artistic intricacies. These challenges are magnified in this paper, and a few approaches are set for effective communication and preservation of cultural heritage. This paper examines the specific translation challenges encountered in traditional music and dance, focusing on the experiences of some liaison officers in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) who were recently appointed in the International Council for Traditional Music and Dance (ICTMD) within the past three years. The primary challenge lies in bridging linguistic divides while preserving the cultural nuances embedded within traditional performances. Liaison officers operating within the ICTMD not only often encounter the availability of resources and archives but also its availability solely in the Arabic language. This prompts debate over Arabic’s status among the United Nations (UN) formal languages and whether they need to be considered official in the ICTMD, an organization in formal consultations with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Some scholars question the Eurocentricity of adopting English as ICTMD’s sole language of communication and publication. In addition, the question of funding from cultural institutions in the MENA and GCC region to translate these resources rises. However ethical issues, authenticity, copyright, and intellectual property issues become central, especially when considering Artificial Intelligence (AI), and its role in translation in today’s modern world. In response to these challenges, liaison officers advocate together by applying theories of Applied Ethnomusicology to find solutions, establish methods of implementation, and form an evaluation process necessary for efficiency measurement. In conclusion, through the efforts of liaison officers and collaborative initiatives within the ICTMD, meaningful strides can be made toward preserving and celebrating the diversity of traditional music and dance worldwide.

ABSTRACT. In the digital age, social media platforms have become dynamic online spaces where music and dance performances are shared and curated, creating a digital repertoire that transcends physical boundaries, allowing 'online users to interact with each other, engaging in two-way dialogues and reciprocating interactions' (Coons & Chen, 2014). This panel's concepts have been broadly developed from Burgess and Green's (2013) systematic investigation of its cultural impacts and politics, highlighting the productive tensions between its amateur community rhetoric and its commercial media logic. Schneider's (2016) interactionist approach to understanding how 'YouTube has contributed to changes in how users record and disseminate music, as well as how users perform, consume, and make sense of the music they experience'.

Broadly based on these ideologies, this panel explores the transformative role of social media in shaping the accessibility, preservation, and dissemination of music and dance performances. Through a multidisciplinary approach, panelists will discuss the implications of this digital transformation on artists, audiences, and the cultural landscape at large. The first paper examines the uploaded music videos on YouTube from the music TV program Coke Studio India to understand how the platform has become a digital archive that enables audiences to access exclusive content, fostering engagement and bridging brand identity with cultural expression. The second paper considers how Bollywood music and dance's accessibility to the Indian diaspora on social media platforms built cultural bonds beyond borders and generated a participatory public performance (Flash Mob Dance) by these amateurs. The third paper studies the role of Chinese local social media in offering content for New Zealand Chinese artists' performances, thus facilitating artistic connections and providing a digital arena for the continuity and evolution of Chinese cultural traditions.

Aligning Music with Promotion: Leveraging Social Media for Audience Engagement and Cultural Expression in Coke Studio India Coke Studio India (CSI) is an Indian music TV program that showcases studio performances, featuring musicians and musics from diverse backgrounds, and fusing their Indian musical styles—both classical and folk—with Western pop/jazz influences. Initiated by Coca-Cola as part of the globally-reaching program Coke Studio to promote its beverage products, CSI was primarily aired on MTV India television channel between 2011 to 2015. Its pioneering collaboration with MTV India also enabled the proactive uploading of its programs on social media platforms such as YouTube. This research examines the critical role that social media such as YouTube played in the dissemination of CSI. It explores the function of social media as a music archive since it has enabled audiences to access exclusive CSI content via YouTube. Some teasers and artist interviews were not shown on TV but were only available through YouTube clips. By analysing musical performances and audience comments on Youtube uploads, this study demonstrates how social media enhances audience engagement and opens up discussion, and how audiences react to particular musical and visual styles and cultural elements. Additionally, through interviews with program producers, the research showcases how the use of social media aligns with Coca-Cola's broader promotional strategies, enhancing audience engagement through all channels to develop brand resonance. Therefore, this study illustrates that social media has played a significant role in not just sharing CSI content but also in shaping the audience's experience and fostering a deep connection between brand and cultural identity.

Screen to Street: The Impact of Social Media on Bollywood Flash Mob Dances and Diasporic Cultural Identity Bollywood flash mob dance (BFMD) is a confluence of the need to perform, express and share aspects of cultural identity and the growing power of social media platforms. It is a planned live performance of mostly amateurs performing popular Bollywood songs at public spaces such as shopping malls, train/metro stations, or large paved public areas worldwide. BFMD has emerged as a global phenomenon, captivating participants and spectators with spontaneous and synchronised performances in public spaces displaying cultural expression and community engagement. It is usually filmed and edited to appear as an unpredictable public performance and uploaded on social media platforms. Similarly to Bollywood dance, BFMD blends traditional Indian dance styles with modern choreography and reflects the diaspora's diverse cultural heritage and experiences. The global reach of social media platforms has enabled recordings of BFMD to reach audiences worldwide, raising questions about representation and the commodification of culture. This study investigates the practice and perception of Bollywood-inspired flash mob dances among the Indian diaspora in different parts of the globe. Analysing user-generated content and engagement patterns on YouTube through posted comments, "likes", and views count, it examines how digital technologies shape cultural expression, community building, and identity negotiation among diasporic populations. It also seeks to uncover how social media shapes the creation, dissemination, and reception of BFMD by analysing some flash mob dances in New Zealand ("Kolaveri Di Auckland Flash Mob" (2011); "Auckland Holi Flash Mob" (2012); "The Ntec Flash Mob" (2015); and so on). Drawing on cultural globalisation and digital ethnography theories, this study explores how social media platforms enable the Indian diaspora in New Zealand to connect, share, and engage with their cultural heritage through dance.

Dance Across Borders: The Role of Chinese Local Social Media in global Artistic Practice and Cultural Exchange In the dynamic landscape of the digital age, Chinese Local Social Media (CLSM) platforms such as Douyin, WeChat, and Xiaohongshu have revolutionized the way in which cultural content is created, disseminated, and received both within China and across the global Chinese diaspora. Characterized by their innovative algorithm mechanisms and versatile functionality, these platforms have achieved unparalleled user engagement among mainland Chinese audiences and have become indispensable tools for overseas Chinese communities. This study zeroes in on the unique intersection of CLSM and the performing arts during a critical period of global disruption: the COVID-19 pandemic. With offline activities restricted, performing artists in mainland China turned to CLSM as a vital conduit for maintaining and sharing their craft, broadcasting a diverse array of music and dance works that garnered significant attention and interaction through user engagement metrics such as "likes." This phenomenon sparked a notable cultural dissemination and exchange among the Chinese dance community in Auckland, New Zealand, which is the focal point of my research. My investigation reveals how these dancers have not only imported popular works from CLSM to local stages but have also engaged with these platforms to facilitate various aspects of their artistic endeavour—from selecting repertoire and organizing rehearsals to promoting their performances. This study highlights the pivotal role of CLSM in offering content for overseas Chinese artists' performances, fostering artistic connections, and providing a digital arena for the continuity and evolution of cultural traditions. By examining the practices of the Chinese dance community in Auckland, this research sheds light on the broader implications of digital platforms in bridging geographical divides, enabling cultural inheritance, and catalysing innovation within the global artistic landscape.

ABSTRACT. One of the most important ceremonies of Thau people in Central Taiwan is the Tungkariri Lus'an, a nationally recognized ritual crucially dependent on language and voice. In this ceremony belief in ancestral spirits constitutes an ethnic boundary for Thau (Jian Shilang 2006) where ritual baskets called ulalaluan contain clothing and accessories of deceased ancestors. In worship shamans serve as mediaries for Thau to achieve their self-identity. But only in Tungkariri Lus'an do Thau people actively participate in “shmayla” singing and dancing in circles to achieve self-identity by themselves. The biggest problem facing Thau’s shmayla is language loss because Thau are still a minority in their village. Taiwan has experienced colonial regimes, occupations and settler colonies causing the displacement of peoples, occupation of land, and continued colonization of indigenous peoples (Tsai, Lin-chin 2019). Even though Thau have tried to revive their mother language, it is still recognized by UNESCO as nearing extinction.

In this paper I examine inextricable links between language and vocality as closely related to embodiment. Magant (2020) argues that if traditional songs contain ancestral knowledge of body, trusting that the body remembers how to sing can restore knowledge and rebuild cultural continuity. This research compares the vocality between generations through historical archives, semi-structed interviews and field recordings to explore the degree to which embodied knowledge is transferred in shmayla performances and ancestral belief systems. At the same time, I want to research the possibility of sustainable development of Thau’s shmayla through historical archives, language preservation, and embodied knowledge.

ABSTRACT. Chaozhou gong and drum music, a prominent subcategory of Chaozhou music, stands as one of the most vibrant and influential types within the Guangdong gong and drum music tradition. It enjoys significant popularity in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Canada, and other global regions. In recent years, the evolution of Chaozhou gong and drum music has spawned new expressive forms. This study situates Chaozhou gong and drum music within its local cultural context and focuses on adolescents aged 8 to 16 as the research participants. Employing historical research, fieldwork, and comparative analysis, this study examines and contrasts the transmission methods of the Shantou Traditional Opera Art School (School inheritance) and the Huayao Youth Chao Orchestra (Apprenticeship system). The discussion centers on the crucial roles these institutions play in the perpetuation and development of gong and drum music in the Chaoshan area and the broader Guangdong region. This analysis aims to delineate the dual mechanisms of "tradition" and "innovation" in the preservation of Chaozhou music within contemporary society, further exploring the pathways for its continued transmission. The findings of this study provide insightful reference materials for the conservation strategies of gong and drum music in different cultures and countries.

ABSTRACT. Confucius ritual music, often referred to as "Yayue" in Chinese, specifically relates to the musical traditions integral to ancient China's ritual ceremonies, deeply influenced by Confucian philosophy. This music is central to Confucian ritual practices and embodies the profound integration of music with cultural and ethical values as advocated by Confucius. It also symbolizes the cultural sophistication and philosophical ideals of ancient Chinese society, believed to significantly impact both individual character and the moral fabric of society.

Over the past century, Yayue's influence declined as new musical forms emerged and the political and social structures of China evolved. The practice was completely discontinued in the People's Republic of China after 1949. However, since the 1990s, efforts to revive Yayue have been part of the government's broader initiative to rejuvenate Chinese cultural heritage, underscoring its historical and cultural significance. This revival not only try to preserves an art form but also serves as a conduit for expressing and showcasing the cultural and political ideals of both Confucianism and the modern time authorities.

Nevertheless, restoring a discontinued music tradition that had virtually died poses significant challenges, sparking intriguing discussions about music authenticity and the notion of "fake" tradition. Another point of debate is how to recreate a lost music tradition from the past within a contemporary cultural environment.

The political motivations and the government's role in both the complete ban and subsequent revival of this music practice in its country of origin, coupled with its continuous practice as a living tradition in neighboring nations across East and parts of Southeast Asia, offer a unique perspective on the cultural resilience and vitality of this millennia-old musical tradition in modern times.

ABSTRACT. Using Cantonese narrative singing in English as a case study, the objective of this workshop is to examine the feasibility and limitations of cultural translation. Cantonese naamyam is a narrative singing form that uses Cantonese dialect as its medium, employing a specific literature structure and a set form of musical accompaniment. The workshop draws inspiration from previous efforts to create Chinese opera in English, which involved writing new scripts and translating old stories with the goal of promoting it to non-Chinese speaking audiences. There are pros and cons, and idiomatic areas for improvement in producing Chinese opera in English that will serve as a reference to this workshop of singing and writing an English naamyam.

The workshop will commence with an introduction to naamyam and a demonstration of a selected piece called “客途秋恨” (Autumn Sorrows on a Journey of Exile). Following that, participants will be guided in singing an excerpt of the English version of the piece, which has been written by my team. Through the example of the English adaptation, I will explain how Cantonese tones and varying pitch levels are incorporated into naamyam composition, applying this understanding to the English language, and supporting it with musical knowledge. Finally, participants will have the opportunity to collectively create an English naamyam piece and participate in a group singing session.

This workshop is intended to assess the feasibility and limitations of cultural translation by transmitting Cantonese naamyam in English. It also aims to act as a bridge between Cantonese culture and various cultures worldwide, while exploring the potential and constraints of translating traditional literature-related music into English.

ABSTRACT. The wedding customs of the Bishnupriya Manipuri community in Bangladesh display a rich array of local music, dances, and ancestral knowledge passed down over the years. Originating from India's northeast some three centuries back, the Manipuris settled in Sylhet, bringing along their unique cultural traditions. Despite the uniformity in Manipuri wedding customs, regional differences persist in food serving, recitations and in some cases, singing. The ceremony, called Lohong, Luhong, or Biya, stays true to its roots amidst changing times, with Swattik customs at its heart. Central to these rituals are performances like Pala, where skilled musicians and singers, such as the Palameccha (lead singer), Dohar (assistant singer), and Dakula (Pung player), set the ceremonial rhythm on a circular platform made of cane, paper, and leaves. The songs are found in three different languages- Prakrito Bangla, Imar Thar and Brajabuli. As the bride circles the groom seven times to the beat of Sangkirton, a deep connection to local ways of life and understanding is felt. However, alongside these traditional performances, the wedding day sees the inclusion of Band Parties, hired from outside the community. A Band Party has become a mandatory part of off-time wedding jolliness for each Lohong. Using local instruments like the Trumpet, Sanai, Dhol etc., they inject a lively spirit into the festivities. Despite their historical detachment from Manipuri tradition, the evolution of Band Parties reflects a complex interplay between local practices and external influences. This contrast between traditional and modern musical expressions highlights a broader tension within the community. While the teaching of traditional Pala and Songkirton remains rooted in the local cultural pedagogy system known as Ojanoki, Band Parties introduce external elements and embrace modern musical technology. As Band Parties incorporate traditional songs into their performances nowadays, a nuanced negotiation between preserving cultural heritage and embracing modernity unfolds. In navigating these complexities, the Bishnupriya Manipuri community grapples with adjustments of preserving culture, identity, and authenticity.

ABSTRACT. Background As the Taoism is a native region of China for more than 1,700 years the Taoist Ritual Music has a long history and one part of the Chinese folk music. During the early Twentieth Century a plenty of the married Taoist priest people who come from the Zhengyi School moved to Macao from Guangdong. In 1923 to 1933 the Guangzhou Sanyuan Taoist Monastery and Luofushan Chongxu Taoist Monastery were twice invited by the Kiang Wu Hospital to set up a grand altar to initiate ritual ceremonies to pray for the people suffered the storm disasters and the cemetery relocation. Since these events also brought out a plenty of the Quanzhen Schools Taoist priest people, the two main schools had a harmonious co-existence and became a unique Taoist Ritual Music which is existed in Macao but not in the other district or countries. With the 500 items of the music have been preserved until present, the Macao Taoist Ritual Music has been the National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) around the world since 2011 with the long-term of passing down from generation to generation. From 2010 to present the Taoist Orchestra have had been established to be active to promote the Taoist Ritual Music and help to pass down the music to the younger generation.

Aims This research aims to prove that as below: 1. The Taoist orchestra youth club learning experience improves and brings out the sustainability of the Taoist Ritual Music. 2. Oral with the inspiration in heart with the aged in 12-18 youth people still is main method to be used in the traditional music teaching and learning. 3. Taoist Ritual Music spread on a positive pathway to the aged in 12-18 youth people in Macao through a series of the traditional music activities like the formal music concert performance, outside visiting and communications, Taoist Cultural Festival, secondary students singing contest, etc.

Method This study is a questionnaire to focus on the questions above. Researcher take a questionnaire research plan with the youth people aged in 12-18 (n=30) o of a average social-economic status. Data is taken from the paper questionnaire and analysed via SPSS19.0. 10 random of the samples of this research are taken the Semi-Structured interview and qualitative analysis will be used .

Result The predict results of this research show a positive correlation of the Taoist orchestra youth club and sustainability of the Taoist Ritual Music teaching and learning. The factor of music learning in oral and with the spiration in heart has a positive correlation of the Taoist orchestra music learning experience. Traditional music activities of the Taoist Ritual Music demonstrate a positive sustainability for the aged in 12-18 younger generation.

Conclusion and implication Macao Taoist Ritual Music as a meaningful National Intangible Cultural Heritage in Macao which was in the multicultural context made the Zhengyi and Quanzhen two main Taoist schools could be harmonious co-existenced. The mission of transmitters should not be only one person in future and the method of learning and teaching may not only still in oral or inspiring in heart, but also in the orchestra youth club. Kinds of the formal or informal updated music activities help the sustainability of the Taoist Ritual Music spreading everywhere.

ABSTRACT. This paper explores the revitalisation of the Sephardi selichot (penitential prayers) custom in recent decades in Israel. From melodies that formed part of an early morning synagogue service described in the 1970s as declining in popularity, by the 2020s, Sephardi selichot have established a highly audible place in Jewish-Israeli culture, via large-scale concerts, media broadcasts and popular recordings that define the public Israeli soundscape during the month of Elul and the “days of penitence” between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. These new renditions of selichot have made significant inroads into Israeli public culture, in part through their ability to align the musical-emotional desires of the audience with the artistic and cultural agendas of audiences, musicians, culture brokers and local politicians. The cultural ecology sustaining this transformation embodies deep-rooted processes of change in Israeli society, including the increasing visibility and perceived coolness of Mizrahi culture, and the increasing prominence, since the 1990s, of elements of religious Judaism in Israeli public culture. In this paper I examine how the transformation of the selichot into mainstream auditory culture is articulated through the interweaving of conservative and innovative elements, anchoring a musical-religious repertory in public spaces which resonate both national and religious meaning.

ABSTRACT. As a sonic representation of polity, traditional or heritage music in public cultures embodies collective affects that are important in the embodiment of social orders in contemporary local communities. In this panel, we explore relational, intercultural or transcultural social processes in which music making is a part. Interest on this area, approached dynamically, is part of the larger questioning on the impact of material conditions from external spheres to local music cultures. A recent book Sonic Modernities in the Malay World (Barendregt 2014), for example, has dealt with the problem of local popular music cultures in Malay modernity. Studies of traditions by local bearers of indigenous music practices also occupy an important space in present-day musicological discourses, thus bringing us closer to understanding the constititive role of music in power relations and social structures from the ground up rather than ones in which cultural changes totally depend on factors outside of local cultural zones.

In this panel, we examine a group of studies of indigenous music makings in the Philippines, which demonstrate varying collective participation of indigenous people in the contemporary period. We use a number of interpretive frames to discuss this but all four papers in the panel gravitate towards the idea on the efficacy of music as performatives that do something to culture bearers in changing political landscapes. The first case, on Agusan Manobo curing ritual, discusses local mimetic practices of healing that are based on a local knowledge of spiritguides as embodiments of social action. The second paper utilizes the concept of "transcendental social" in the social organization of sodality, a group of lay person in indigenous religious observances and vows that create a local community within the order of broader Roman Catholicism. The third and fourth talk about traditional indigenous music practices within the power of the modern state's projects. In all, the panel investigates how music acts within asymmetrical polities, yet because of subculture-superculture negotiations, music moves towards the larger intercultural representation of "we-ness."

Paper 1: Mimesis of Mythopoetic characters in Agusan Manobo Curing Ritual One of mimetic theory's errors is to construe mimema (the copy of the "real" or that what is represented) merely as a mental representation that is bracketed from the situated context to which a mimetic process is pertinent. Mimesis, however, is a perceptual act and thus Merleau-Ponty's theory of embodiment provides a more adequate framework to understand the phenomenology of perception that is enacted always with a knowing body grasping what-is-at-hand in a world (see for instance works by Taussig, Friedson, and Stoller). In this paper, I interpret the event of indigenous Agusan Manobo curing ritual to describe the processes of embodied mimesis and highlight the notion of intercorporeality. This form is collectively done and hence is indicative of a social cognition. Manobo ritual efficacy depends on the correct application of medicinal herbs and of strict procedures of bodily regimen that the patient and her or his immediate family must adhere to. All these procedures are believed to come from spiritguides in the environment, revealed in dreams or in ritual performance itself. These spirits (diwata) incarnate in curing ceremonies as (Viconian) mythopoetic characters that control the ritual dialogues that are necessary for healing. A new form of spirit, which speaks the settler language, embodies Manobo historical experience of modernity. Hardly are these "spirits" mere ideas. Instead, culture bearers themselves verbalize them locally as effects of doers' actions. Collectively, they are affirmed in ritual performance.

Paper 2: The Transcendental Social in the Sodalities of Poong Nazareno of Quiapo Quiapo in Manila, Philippines is famous for its Basilica and National Shrine of the Black Nazarene.  Devotees attest to the healing miracles and favors received from the image of Poong Nazareno (Jesus, the Nazarene) enshrined at the altar.   Two lay sodalities, the Hijos del Nazareno and the Music Ministry in the church’s social structure weave a tapestry of  interconnectedness in terms of their essential roles  to fulfill a panata (vow) to the Poong Nazareno.  Their collective identities are shaped, and social relationships are maintained. The brotherhood movement of the Hijos endeavors to acquire the power of the Nazareno through participation in a challenging ritual field considered a male rite of passage.  On the other hand, singing, a performative act of the Music Ministry, allows the devotees to channel their collective yearning for divine intervention fostering introspection and self-care. As a devotional ritual, it becomes an agent of self-reconstruction and offering for others’ needs. Via the interpretive lens of Maurice Bloch’s theory on transcendental social, the lay sodalities transcend individuality and fosters a culture of inclusivity and diversity.  Modes of communication and networking are exercises of power in forms of essentialized roles, policies, and leadership of church hierarchies.  It enhances trust in members and deference to authority.  With a mystical experience of the Transcendent, performance of their rituals, activities, and personal piety configures the building up of community; it reaches out to the bigger society to care for others.  

Paper 3: Rhetorical devices and aesthetic expression in cultural performances of balitao in Negros Oriental The rhetorical device "garay," embedded in the "balitao," a spontaneous song debate, is a common entertainment among the Ata of Negros Oriental which is adapted as a traditional performance in the Province of Negros Oriental and highlighted through a competition in the Buglasan, a yearly festival event showcasing cultural performances of the towns and cities of the province. Although the balitao is foregrounded as more popular being a genre, the utilization of garay as an instrument of poetics cannot be undermined as a potent force that edifies the aesthetics of the Balitao. Garay is inseparable to balitao. The performances of the local government-initiated Buglasan, however, due to its new guidelines and techniques, inundated the idea of poetics as it accedes to modern entertainment imperatives. How the rhetorical device of garay is crucially challenged in the balitao competition of Buglasan is a subject of query in this research presentation.

Paper 4: Arbitration and Mediation: The Role of Teduray Kë’fëduwan in Dispute Resolution and Community Harmony in Upi Maguindanao, Philippines This paper explores the role of Teduray kë’fëduwan in resolving disputes without resorting to formal court systems, focusing on their unique methods of arbitration and mediation. The kë’fëduwan are esteemed legal advisors in the Teduray community, responsible for addressing conflicts through a consensual approach rather than through conventional litigation. This study underscores the effectiveness of these traditional forms of dispute resolution, noting that they are more flexible and spiritually inspired. The kë’fëduwan employs intoned verbal practices and highlights how these traditional songs “acts” in the proceedings of mediation. Moreover, the research delves into how the reification of leadership has influenced traditional counsel from the elders and explores how leadership in the Teduray community has changed over time. It focuses on selected barangays in Upi Maguindanao, Philippines, highlighting how these community-based practices encourage collective action and a strong sense of "we-ness." This research advocates for the recognition of the Teduray kë’fëduwan's cultural significance, emphasizing their role in sustaining the social fabric of the community. Through a community-based approach, the paper supports local stakeholders in preserving their cultural heritage and integrating these traditional dispute-resolution methods into modern contexts.

ABSTRACT. Panel Abstract: How do musical practices contribute to complex connections between people and place? As musicians’ identities are linked with localities and associated musical styles, how do artists navigate individual creativity and collective traditions? In spaces of inequality and insecurity, how might musical practices constitute a praxis of care? When people move from place to place, disrupting their personal relationships, how do musical practices sustain those relationships and build new connections? When music moves from its place of performance into online spaces, what connections are created and/or sustained? This panel addresses these questions, arguing that musical practice enables and embodies a range of intersecting, fluid connections between people, places and traditions. The first paper, ‘In and Out of Style: Identity and Community in Uilleann Piping’, examines the productive role of tensions between individual and collective forms of identity in establishing connections between pipers and their instruments, localities, communities, lineages and histories. Next, ‘Women singing Siyaçemana, an ontological Praxis of Care in the Hawrāmān region of Kurdistan’ investigates the vocal form Siyaçemana’s embodiment of connections between the Hawrāmi community and its remote, mountainous environment, the process of cultural transmission and Siyaçemana’s links with communal wellbeing. The third paper, ‘Touching from a Distance: Music as Mediation in Translocal Networks’, examines the roles of musical practice in sustaining relationships through physical separation and in diasporic spaces, with a focus on women displaced from Iran and Mexico. Finally, ‘Digital Representation and the Sustainability of Tanjidor Betawi’ analyses the effects on contextualisation, reception and sustainability when a hybrid brass band genre moves from its Indonesian locality to online spaces, as well as the nature of these spaces as ethnographic sites. Together, these papers build on related ethnomusicological research, drawing on interdisciplinary theories of identity, community, mediation and representation to contribute new perspectives on music and place.

1. In and out of style: identity and community in uilleann piping In the discourse of scholars and practitioners alike, the history and contemporary practice of Irish traditional music is one of ‘styles’. Musicians are classified (sometimes against their wishes) within a complex taxonomy of styles coalescing around a locality, an iconic musician or an approach to their instrument. At the same time, significant weight is placed on individual expression and idiolect in ways which may even begin to contradict the pre-eminence of these axiomatic categories. The practice of Irish traditional music can be regarded as a negotiation of identities, as understandings of self (themselves fluid and contingent) interweave and intersect with broader communal identifications and groupings. The uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes) have attracted more than their fair share of this discourse and their history, culture and practice present unique features, which merit special consideration here. This paper examines individual and communal identities as simultaneously generative and constraining factors in contemporary uilleann piping practice. It reflects on the productive role of the tension between individual and collective forms of identity in establishing connections between a piper and their instrument, locality, communities, lineage and history. This research draws on ethnographic interviews with prominent contemporary uilleann pipers and pipe makers, coupled with analysis of their recorded musical output. Scholarly understandings of musical style and identity from the study of Irish traditional music, ethnomusicology and sociology will be contrasted with the perceptions and opinions of uilleann pipers to illuminate the broader processes of choice and necessity that guide musicmaking.

2. Women singing Siyaçemana, an ontological praxis of care in the Hawrāmān region of Kurdistan This paper investigates the cultural, social and gender dynamics surrounding Siyaçemana, a distinctive vocal form in the Hawrāmān region of Kurdistan, with a focus on the role of women in the form’s sustenance and transmission. Siyaçemana, deeply rooted in the historical and geographical context of Hawrāmān, emerges as a crucial element of local musical heritage, intricately linked with the community’s identity and history. Through its centuries-old lineage, Siyaçemana portrays elements of cultural continuity, while reflecting the intimate connection between the local community and its remote, mountainous environment, thus sustaining place-based identity and heritage. Despite the significant contributions of women as active practitioners of this local musical legacy, societal norms often obscure their influence. Drawing on ethnographic and autoethnographic research, this paper analyses the multifaceted dimensions of Siyaçemana, guided by the theories of ‘ethics of care’ and ‘relationality’. Viewing Siyaçemana not merely as a musical form, but as an ontological praxis of care, underscores its emphasis on relationships and the reciprocal process of cultural transmission. Within this framework, the paper not only illuminates the often-overlooked contributions of women, but also the interconnectedness and interdependence of individuals within the Hawrāmi Kurdish community. The role of women as ‘silent’ transmitters of Indigenous musical culture is integral to the safeguarding of this heritage, weaving together cultural and environmental identity, the resilience and adaptability of community members and the Hawrāmi people’s wellbeing. Through participant observation, interviews and personal reflections, this paper identifies Siyaçemana custodians and explores its transmission process, gender dynamics and impact on community dynamics. With its focus on a little-researched musical form, in an environment sometimes difficult for ethnomusicologists to access, the paper contributes new insights into the complexities of musical practice and its connection with natural and social environments.

3. Touching from a Distance: Music as Mediation in Translocal Networks Global inequalities, precarity and conflict have contributed to ever-increasing levels of displacement around the world, with over 100 million people forcibly displaced today. One of many consequences for those displaced is the disruption of relationships, from physical separation to shifts in social positions and possibilities. In this context, new forms of mediation and communication emerge, with music often playing a crucial role. This paper argues that musical practice serves as an effective form of mediation for a range of relationships, especially in translocal spaces. Here, mediation may be understood as transmission, communication, conflict resolution and/or entanglement, while translocality entails a simultaneous attachment to local communities and online engagement with people elsewhere. The relationships affected include the intimate and familial, social and workplace interactions, and relations between citizens or residents and their governments. Especially for people living with histories of marginalisation and forced mobility, music is a uniquely powerful means of connection, with its portability and potential for multilayered, fluid, individual and collective meaning. Drawing on extensive in-person and online ethnographic research, this paper focuses on the experiences and musical practices of women who have moved from Iran and Mexico to Australia and the United States. The findings reveal not only personal and collective experiences, but also some of the ways that conditions in these four countries vary according to residents’ respective social, gender and national positions. They also point to the diversity of musical possibilities in these contexts. The paper builds on the work on music and displacement of such scholars as Bohlman, de Quadros, Marsh, Pettan, Reyes, Stokes and Zheng. Its comparative approach and interdisciplinary theoretical framework combine to contribute a fresh ethnomusicological perspective.

4. Digital Representation and the Sustainability of Tanjidor Betawi Tanjidor is the hybrid brass band genre practised by the Betawi people of Indonesia, who are native to the Greater Jakarta metropolitan region. Traditionally, undertaking an ethnography usually requires a full, or substantial, cultural immersion within a particular field of study. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic taking flight in late 2019, it became increasingly difficult for a time, in some cases impossible, for cultural researchers to engage physically with their fields of studies. This required a significant adjustment in attitudes towards modes of conducting ethnographic fieldwork. The digital realm of the Internet became a major site, and object, of study for examining physically out-of-reach cultural material. In light of this, I undertake a digital ethnography of tanjidor to investigate the genre’s representation online, and what this reveals about its portrayal and contextualisation within Betawi society. My findings illustrate that little heed is paid to the musical specificities of the genre online. Rather, extraneous elements of the genre, other than the music itself, take precedence in the digital representation of tanjidor Betawi. The visual sighting of the helicon acts as a synecdoche for the entire genre and, more generally, Betawi music. The atmosphere of celebratory processional performance contexts that tanjidor bands are usually integrated within take precedence over the musical content performed. Moreover, text-based and audio-visual digital resources featuring tanjidor practitioners highlight the inter-generational, familial and historical aspects of the musical genre in describing its value within Betawi society. Nevertheless, the lasting records of the activities of tanjidor bands created and enhanced through digital means, particularly over the COVID-19 pandemic, may boost the endangered genre’s future sustainability. For wider scholarship, digital ethnography not only offers an alternative site for fieldwork, but also an object of study that reveals the affordances of the online space for traditional musicians.

ABSTRACT. This roundtable comprises four panelists, all of whom have played integral roles in the forthcoming publication of Phonographic Modernity: The Gramophone Industry and Music Genres in East and Southeast Asia (University of Illinois Press, 2024).

As the title suggests, this book represents the inaugural attempt to explore the development of the gramophone industry and its associated music genres within the historical milieu of East and Southeast Asia from a global vantage point. Spanning nine distinct locales including Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia/Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, the book offers a panoramic view seldom encountered in traditional area studies programs, which conventionally treat East and Southeast Asia in isolation.

By juxtaposing these two regions, the book unveils a fresh perspective on the early recording industry, illuminating the transimperial operations of major labels alongside the multifaceted engagement of local societies, thereby delineating what is herein termed “phonographic modernity.” This conceptual framework encapsulates the intersection of mediality, materiality, and marketability of sound within colonial and postcolonial contexts, engaging with pivotal issues in both sound studies and postcolonial discourse.

Surveying over 100 labels and looking into more than 100 music genres, including numerous lesser-known local entities, the book introduces a plethora of dimensions that have hitherto received limited attention within international academia. With its robust theoretical underpinnings, expansive geographical coverage, and meticulous empirical research, this work constitutes a substantial contribution to the ongoing dialogue surrounding global music history and sound studies.

The panelists have authored the introduction and individual chapters focusing on Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia. By convening scholars specializing in East and Southeast Asia, this roundtable aims to uncover commonalities across the two regions while also highlighting the distinctive attributes of each locale and region from a cross-referential perspective.

ABSTRACT. Hearing and sounding are ways of acoustically knowing a place (Feld 1996). Each place affords specific types of sounding/hearing behaviors, as its sonic, material, biological, and socio-political elements deeply affect interactions between them and human beings. This paper examines how Balinese gamelan performances, during both rehearsals and rituals, are sounded and heard as socially meaningful sound as a part of places. How do people understand, react to, and manage the interconnected place-sounds? To explore this question, I will describe several different types of places (e.g., homes, community halls, public roads, and temples) incorporating specific sounds from human and non-human sources (including animals, plants, TVs, cars, rain, etc.) whether contingently or intentionally, together with those of gamelan. Examining why and how a specific sound becomes acceptable or unacceptable in each place, I will clarify how people negotiate with each other, as well as with their environment, to create or maintain the socio-cultural place. Further, I will focus on the permeability of space and sound as a distinctive feature of Balinese acoustemology. Besides creating, demarcating, and transforming the space (Born 2015), sound transcends borders. Due to the physical structure of instruments, the spatial designs of architecture, and socio-cultural habits constituting musical activities in Bali, gamelan often sounds as a part of cacophonies as a result of their mutually permeable coexistence, and as a mixture and interference of various kinds of sounds in a place which might be heard either positively or negatively. I will argue that, in both cases, sonic and spatial permeabilities provide specific ways for social interactions, embodying their aesthetics, ethics, and cosmology.

ABSTRACT. Music and musical instruments are essential to a place's affective and aesthetic assets and profoundly influence how we experience places sensually. By listening to and participating in music, we actively understand real and imagined geographies and spatial environments and, in doing so, learn how people experience space and place. Certain music, including the devotional genre, is tied to a specific area and context that defines its locality, territoriality, and sacredness. Through sacred narratives tuned to music, people describe the place and origins of the musical instruments, songs, dances, and ceremonies. This paper adopts a rigorous research methodology to focus on studying music production and consumption in Badakhshan, Tajikistan, as a reflection of the landscape and geographical spaces surrounding it. It critically engages with ethnomusicological studies on the musical construction of place (Stokes, 1994; 1997) and configuration of human sensorium (Hirschkind, 2009) to discuss how the Pamiri Ismailis harness music to understand their religion and construct their identities unique to their sacred geography. In Badakhshan, music, place, culture, and identity are interconnected concepts. Through the sound of the rabbob, the most revered musical instrument, and the traditional performance of qasida-khonī, a genre associated with this particular geographical region, my paper aims to explore how music informs our sense of sacred place and constructing meanings around a place. This paper also investigates what could be learned about Badakhshan and its sacred geography through the music people make. This paper utilizes ethnographic data from 2011-2014 gathered in Badakhshan via interviews with musicians and practitioners to answer the question. It discusses the music and instruments, as well as their symbolic meanings, sound, and physical features that reveal the geography and environment of the region and how the environment and religion might have shaped the music itself.

ABSTRACT. This research aims to go through unexplored manuscripts of the early 12th-century CE encyclopedic treatise, Mānasollāsa (by Someśvara III), to reconstruct the lost musical genres and example compositions found therein. Someśvara offers descriptions and example compositions in languages Sanskrit, Prakrit and others for creating a wide variety of structured musical compositions known as "Prabandhas". The Mānasollāsa is possibly the only source for providing example pieces for some formats, especially for genres of prabandha such as ‘Elā’, which are not found elsewhere, making it invaluable from a perspective of Historical Musicology. These reconstructed compositions have all the potential to establish a link to the musical traditions of ancient India. Due to widespread scribal errors in handwritten manuscripts, the current printed editions of these compositions provide very little guidance, making it hard to understand and appreciate them. Damaged manuscripts, incorrect readings, missing portions, absence of structural divisions, and ambiguous terminology are a few of the challenges our project has encountered. To overcome this, we have acquired previously unexplored palm-leaf and paper manuscripts of Mānasollāsa from various parts of India that span several historical periods to restore lost information. Retrieving information from the manuscripts, examining variant readings, interpreting descriptive data from the Mānasollāsa and other musicological works, and creating a critically edited version based on definitions, rules, and Paninian grammar are all steps in our reconstruction process. Despite these constraints, our research has successfully reconstructed several compositions, which we will discuss alongside the procedures and challenges encountered. Our goal is to enrich our understanding of this musical heritage by fostering a revival and appreciation of extinct genres within Indian music.

ABSTRACT. This research is a new approach in the area of applied ethnomusicology and creative collaborative research. The project focuses on new guitar works inspired by Thai Isan traditional instruments by collaborating with local musicians and four Thai composers. Isan is the north-eastern region of Thailand and Isan people are mostly associated with Thai-Lao culture - a mix of Buddhism, animism, and Hinduism. Isan music is known for being light-hearted, energetic, and uplifting, a musical character distinct from the folk music in other parts of Thailand. The project’s research methods are informed by two concepts: 1) reinterpreting folk music for the guitar in the form of technique samples, which forms the materials for the collaboration with composers, and 2) collaboration between the researcher and the composers, including a process of negotiating the editing and arranging of the works. Rather than solely arranging existing traditional melodies, this project creates new pieces that take into account the idioms and playing styles of Isan folk instruments, such as khaen (bamboo mouth organ), ponglang (wooden xylophone), phīn (Thai mandolin), and wot (circular pan flute). The new pieces will bridge the gap between musical traditions and the cultural world that encompasses Thai music in the modern era. The presentation will include a discussion with scores and performance of the following: 1) new tunings for the guitar 2) Isan instrumental techniques transferred to the guitar 3) Parts of new pieces from the collaborations by the four composers.

ABSTRACT. In an era of Africanisation, decolonisation, transformation and indigenisation of African curricula at institutions of higher learning in South (Africa), the paper looks at South African indigenous compositions and songs as a vehicle for South African contemporary jazz composition and composition studies. The normative understanding of South African jazz is the association with grooves and the harmonic language fixed on the three primary triads in the major key centres, resulting in the established musical forms Marabi, Kwela and Mbaqanga. The paper probes and interrogate the other musical traits borrowed from South (African) indigenous music and spiritual music that have come to characterise South African contemporary jazz beyond the above descriptors. Primarily, for there are compositions by South African jazz composers that are not based on the above-mentioned traits and yet the music still has a distinctive sound that can be or is identified as South (African). This study will interrogate the re-imagination of South African indigenous songs such as the isiXhosa spiritual song "Intlombe Variations: Diviners Ceremony" re-composed by Zimasile “Zim” Ngqawana as "Intlombe Variations: eBhofolo (This Madness)" and the isiZulu songs "Ngibambeni, Ngibambeni!" by Princess Magogo ka Dinizulu as re-composed by (for) Sibongile Khumalo into the contemporary jazz idiom. Geoof Mapaya's theory on the infusion of folklore into South African jazz will be used as a theoretical framework to this study.

ABSTRACT. Nwátàm is a dance music festival denoting folkloric manifestation of ancestral spirits; their reverence in the performance is a thanksgiving ceremony for bountiful harvests and human multiplication in the agrarian culture and society of Ndoki in Southeastern Nigeria. The staging of this post-harvest ceremony coincides with the twelve days of Christmastide, December 25 to January 5, based on the Gregorian calendar. Nwátàm festival is one indigenous practice that did not seem to face the onslaught of European missionary efforts at suppressing the cultural practices of local communities. The resultant survival of the practice is thus a cause for curiosity and raises the question of how and why this culture persists. Despite this seeming sustenance, intensive distortion in the light of the modern Pentecostal movement has become notorious and responsible for what Okigbo (2021) termed “Africans’ cultural self-immolation.” Through ethnographic and archival studies, this paper references cultural expressions in Europe’s Christmas festivities, especially masquerade, as a possible explanation for the survival of Nwátàm in Ndokiland. It then interrogates the new form of Pentecostalism and its attacks on native cultures and their implications in the broader context of the ongoing scholarly debates on the crisis of African cultural identity in the light of Nkrumah’s Consciencism and W.E.B. DuBois’s discourses on Double Consciousness.

ABSTRACT. The intimate connection, interdependence and dialogue between sound and movement is ubiquitous in all African traditional performances that involve music and dance (Nannyonga-Tamusuza, 2015). “African performance is a highly wrapped bundle of arts that are sometimes difficult to separate, even for analysis. Singing, playing instruments, dancing, masquerading and dramatizing are part of a conceptual package that many Africans think of as one and the same” (Stone, 1998). Music and dance in imbalu circumcision rituals are so intertwined, each forming an integral part to the whole. The integrative nature of imbalu, music and dance, makes it impossible to distinguish between these components (Makwa, 2010). It is so intertwined that it's difficult to determine with any certainty which one is affecting the other (Kaemmer, 1993). The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how music and dance are closely intertwined within the performance contexts of imbalu circumcision rituals and how the duo are part and parcel of the imbalu circumcision rituals of the Bagisu of eastern Uganda. The paper presentation will demonstrate how the sonic elements of music and visual structures of the dance work together to create a composite rhythmically interdependent and dialogic performance. The drums and singers dictate what motifs dancers should dance, and sometimes the dancers may also suggest to musicians which kind of music they should play on drums or sing during the performance. In the presentation I will use both staff notation and labanotation, and also video to articulate the close connection between the two artforms.

ABSTRACT. Rural areas in Kenya have often been revered as custodians of indigenous customs and traditions. Emerging from the British colonial administration, which restricted communities to ‘tribal’ villages, the common belief is that rural regions are unaffected by external influences. Hence, they uphold their traditions. However, despite their perceived isolation, rural areas have been exposed to foreign influences as their inhabitants interact with neighboring and guest communities, including colonial government officials and settlers. Furthermore, in the 1950s, rural populaces had access to radio broadcasts in their vernacular languages, first from the national broadcasting corporation and later from the regional stations. This conflux of influences contributed to the development of music genres in the country as musicians combined their traditional expertise with external musical influences acquired from visitors, repatriating natives, and radio transmissions. It also resulted in identities that transcend specific ethnic backgrounds, reflecting national affiliations or the interactions of diverse populations. It is within this space that I center my study. I will interrogate the contemporary rural space in Kenya, focusing on Migori, a multi-ethnic county in Kenya. I intend to illustrate how local and foreign exchanges reshape rural boundaries, propelling the re-creation and production of diverse music genres and identities. By engaging with local musicians, I will explore how intercultural interactions influence indigenous and foreign traditions, producing new musical forms. Consequently, I will speak to the music practice in Migori County and rationalize the flux in modern rural Kenya.

ABSTRACT. Viet Nam is a multi-ethnic country with 54 ethnic groups coexisting for centuries. Indigenous ethnic groups in Viet Nam possess the rich and profound spiritual lives and belief systems. There are many different types of beliefs existing in the lives of Vietnamese people, from primitive beliefs such as totemism, animism, or the worship of the Rice Mother Goddess and the nature deities, to the later beliefs as the worship of the ancestors, the deities, and popular religions as known as Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Brahmanism. Besides, there are also a numerous customary rituals of ethnic groups living in different regions, include rites following the life cycle from birth to death. Therefore, ritual activities are regularly practiced by Vietnamese people as an indispensable part of their life. In those rituals, music is used as an effective means to support ritual activities as well as to strengthen the sacredness and the capacity to connect to the gods. It can be said that in Viet Nam, the oldest genre of music to appear was ritual music, which is also numerous and diverse. Furthermore, it also is the kind of music that has been existing and developing most sustainably in the spiritual lives of ethnic groups. This panel will introduce the diversity of ritual music of some indigenous ethnic groups in Viet Nam through three papers:

1. Music in the Then ritual of the Tày, Nùng, Thái ethnic groups and in the funeral rituals of the Mông people in the Northern mountainous region of Viet Nam" 2. Some music genres practiced in rituals of the Kinh people in the Northern Delta of Viet Nam 3. Music in community festivals and in some rituals of the Chăm people in Ninh Thuận province

Music in the Then ritual of the Tày, Nùng, Thái ethnic groups and in the funeral rituals of the Mông people in the Northern mountainous region of Viet Nam

The Tày, Nùng, Thái, and Mông ethnic groups are prominent communities with large populations in the Northern mountainous region of Viet Nam. They possess diverse and distinctive traditional music, especially the ritual music. This paper will introduce two kinds of music practiced in the rituals of these ethnic groups. Those are the Then music in Then ritual of the Tày, Nùng, Thái people and the Kềnh musical instrument in the funeral rituals of the Mông people. According to the traditional belief of the Tày, Nùng, and Thái people, the spiritual world of Then is a world of multiple deities. It is believed that by practicing Then rituals, the deities will help fulfill the wishes of humans. Therefore, Then rituals are organized for various purposes such as seeking blessings, solving problems, wishing for longevity, praying for good harvests, healing, etc. The Then music includes chanting, singing, accompanied with the đàn tính (a kind of luth) and percussion instruments, which are unique elements leading every Then ritual. In the funeral rituals of the Mông people, the Kềnh is an essential musical instrument which is used to lead the deceased to the otherworld. During the funeral process, the sound of the Kềnh accompanied with the sounds of drums, is used to express the infinite sorrow for the deceased Through the Then music of the Tày, Nùng, Thái ethnic groups, and the music in the funeral rituals of the Mông people, we can understand more about the spiritual beliefs and the ancestral connections of these ethnic groups. This helps us appreciate and preserve the unique cultural heritage of these musical traditions.

Some music genres practiced in rituals of the Kinh people in the Northern Delta of Viet Nam

The Kinh people are not only the majority ethnic group but also the indigenous inhabitants of Viet Nam. The Northern Delta region is considered the birthplace of ancient culture of the Kinh people, where many traces of traditional culture, including a system of religious and customary rituals are preserved and maintained in practice for thousands of years. There are various kinds of music associated with these rituals. Today, some ancient performances practiced in agricultural rituals are still found here, such as the Trò Trám festival in Phú Thọ province. In the ritual music, there are some genres are practiced only in religious rituals, such as Hát Xoan performed in rituals those are associated with the worship of the Hùng Kings in Phú Thọ, or Hát Chèo Tàu in ritual worshipping of the Hai Bà Trưng - the national heroes of Viet Nam. However, there are also the music genres which are practiced not only in rituals but also in other different occasions in community life. Eventhough they become the distinctive musical activities of the community, such as Quan Họ singing in Bắc Ninh province. This paper will introduce some music genres that have been practiced for a long time in the religious rituals of the Kinh people in the Northern Delta of Viet Nam.

Music in community festivals and in some rituals of the Chăm people in Ninh Thuận, Vietnam

The Chăm is the one of ethnic groups belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian language group in Viet Nam. They mainly reside in Ninh Thuận province in the South Central region of Viet Nam. The Chăm people have the most diverse system of festivals and rituals in Viet Nam, including community festivals held at temples; agricultural rituals, Rija rituals for seeking blessings, health, and luck; rituals of lineages, and ceremonies associated with the person’s life cycle. For the Chăm people, music is an important and essential element in festivals and rituals. It’s played to connect to deities and to promote the connection among the community, the lineage, and the family. Music is practiced throughout the rituals, the festivals, consists of songs and musical pieces supporting ritual activities and processions; storytelling songs about the worshipped deities. Music in Chăm rituals often includes ritual songs accompanied by a musical instrument and pieces of musical ensembles. Many distinctive cultural elements of the Chăm people, especially the Tano-Binai philosophy (masculine-feminine, yin-yang) and the traces of agricultural and fertility beliefs, are clearly reflected in Chăm ritual music. This paper will present about the music in some festivals and rituals of the Chăm people in Ninh Thuận province and their prominent features.

ABSTRACT. For over a thousand years, the Carpathian region in Central Europe has been home to various ethnic groups. This has resulted in a unique cultural coexistence that is reflected in architecture, mentalities, food, and traditional music. Before the 20th century, this region was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was made up of various ethnicities and religious denominations. During this time, the elites developed a keen interest in interethnic research, particularly in documenting various ethnographic aspects and traditional music. Béla Bartók was a pioneer in this field and a leading figure in ethnomusicological research in the region. Despite the rise of ethno-nationalism in the 1920s, Bartók's approach to interethnic research continued to serve as a model.

This panel aims to explore how different political agendas influenced interethnic research in ethnomusicology during the 20th century in this shared space. The panel will address the following questions: What is Béla Bartók's legacy in conducting interethnic research? To what extent was ethnomusicological research influenced by national/nationalist and communist propaganda?

Paper 1: In Exile – Traditional Methods in Folk Music Research

It was one hundred years ago, when Béla Bartók published the monograph about Hungarian folk music in 1924 (A magyar népdal; English version: Hungarian Folk Music, 1931). Bartók categorized the whole Hungarian corpus according to musical characteristics, parameters in A, B, C classes. Later he systematized Slovak and Romanian folk music (peasant music, as he called it, and mainly his collections) also based on musical criteria as well. Bartók was one of the first leading figures of comparative studies. As he wrote about this: “a comparison must be made of the material of the different areas in order to determine what is common and what is different; that is, the descriptive musical folklore is followed by the comparative musical folklore.” The most important and exciting part of folk music research comes after the latter, according to Bartók, the pragmatic music folklore. It is due, on the one hand, to this concept of comparative research that Hungarian ethnomusicology could reveal the connections of the Hungarian musical tradition both horizontally, that is in geographic context, and vertically, that is from a historical point of view. On the other hand, the classification of a huge material according to the criteria of musical analysis also contributed to the result. Nevertheless the aesthetic qualities represented by folk music were also emphasized by Bartók, Kodály and their successors. During the 20th century, Hungarian folk music research was mostly conducted by composers and musicians, and this circumstance explains why they were mainly concerned with the essence, characteristics, and interrelationships of music. In addition, they made serious efforts during their fieldwork to observe and describe the function of music in the community, the musical instruments, the customs, and the emic names. Undoubtedly, it was through systematizations based on musical criteria, comparative historical and ethnic studies that Hungarian research had become one of the leading workshops of international ethnomusicology from the second half of the 1950s and the 1960s. The value-centred assessment of music, including folk music, can be observed throughout the twentieth century in Hungarian folk music research. This is possibly one of the main reasons why the weight, importance, and presence of it declined in the international arena of the discipline during the last third of the century. As the dominant anthropological approach refused to deal with the content of music, any reference to quality, let alone artistic value, became obsolete, superfluous, and – in some situations – undesirable. (NB. Some scholars judged the classification of folk songs by Bartók as a strong argument for Hungarian nationalism.) Do we really banish the music itself, and musical analysis, comparison from ethnomusicology? Some relevant examples give the answer.

Paper 2: Interpreting Bartók’s interethnic Research Through His 1914 Transylvanian Field Journey

In April 1914, Bartók visited the Hungarian and Romanian villages of the Transylvanian county of Maros-Torda with his wife, Márta Ziegler. Of all his field journeys, this is certainly the most exciting in terms of the inter-ethnic connections of the instrumental tune stock. His earlier collections, often took place in a homogeneous ethnic environment, although he sometimes recorded material from several ethnic groups on a single journey. The route taken in the spring of 1914, however, drew on both Hungarian and Romanian material in abundance: from the Romanian-populated areas of the Upper Maros/Mureș region, it led through the Romanian-Hungarian linguistic-ethnic border, to the Hungarian-populated areas of the Nyárád/Niraj valley of Marosszék, Székelyföld. Bartók was thus able to create a rich documentation of homogeneous Hungarian and Romanian areas and villages in the cultural contact zone between the two ethnicities. The tunes recorded in the 1914 journey to Maros-Torda County appears in several of Bartók's works, as the composer was greatly influenced by this material, the last snapshot of the folk music of pre-World War Transylvania. This journey had a fateful impact on Bartók himself, on his image of folk music, and his arrangements of folk music. Without his experiences in Maros-Torda County, we would certainly know a different oeuvre of him, perhaps a more incomplete one. With my paper, I attempt to put this early research of inter-ethnic aspect into limelight. Looking back from over a century, Bartók's scholarly narrative and methods provide important consequences for the traditional research of music of long-time culturally coexisting ethnicities.

Paper 3: Beyond the National Lenses: Exploring the Musical Landscapes of Rural Transylvanian Communities

One knows Transylvania for its diverse ethnicity and culture, making it one of the richest regions in Europe in this regard. Transylvania is indeed a complex blend of ethnicities and religious denominations that generated different traditional cultures. Each of these main ethnic groups such as Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, and Roma (Gypsy), managed to preserve their specific traditional music resulting in many musical dialects. However, there are also numerous transethnic common features regarding repertoires, musical structures, and motifs as well as the instruments. Despite this, Romanian, Hungarian, and German scholars carried out most of the existing research on traditional music in Transylvania during the 20th century separately. Romanians focused just on the Romanian regions, Hungarians just on the Hungarian ones, resulting in different views and configurations of Transylvanian traditional music. Not least, few ethnomusicologists preferred a more interethnic view. A leading figure in this category was Béla Bartók, who was also a pioneer of ethnomusicological research in this region. The present paper wants to explore the research methods used by the scholars who studied traditional music during the 20th century in Transylvania. Why does Béla Bartók's legacy remain marginal? To what extent was ethnomusicological research influenced by national/nationalist and communist propaganda?

ABSTRACT. Sacred Connections: Corporealising Intangibilities

This panel forefronts three papers that centre different movement physicalities in maritime Southeast Asia. The sacred plays an integral role in many maritime Southeast Asian cultures. The authors in this panel expand the sacred (beyond its usual association to the religious/spiritualities) to a wider scope and consider the varying ways in which it has manifested through gestural and movement languages. The sacred through movement acknowledges the multi-faceted ways in which enactors of movements move and the cultural affiliations it produces and is produced from. Thus, these papers are more focused on the enactors of movements, paying close attention to their impetuses, impulses and imagination.

The papers are arranged in a manner that reveals the spectrum of the religious to the secular: acknowledging how enactors of movements from similar cultural affinities (Singapore & Malaysia) position themselves quite fluidly along the lines of permissibility, innovation and obligation. These papers, when juxtaposed with each other, allows for a critical discussion on how the sacred is corporealised within each community of practice. At times, the sacred is both intrinsic and extrinsic, invoking movements that evoke a liminal space to connect with a higher source. In others, the sacred is the curation of movement in tandem with the philosophy of harmonious connection to nature, manifesting as symbolic gestures and dance interpretations.

The panel hopes that through the interrelated theme of corporealising the sacred, there is better awareness of the diverse movement physicalities in maritime Southeast Asia. In bringing to the fore how enactors of movement philosophise their corporealities, there can be further critical discussions about the sacred practices and how movement enactors renegotiate and adapt.

PAPER 1: The Intersection-Contestation of Zauq and Movement as the Embodiment of Sufi Spirituality in Malaysia

This paper attempts to delve into the state of zauq in Sufi or Tasawwuf tariqa (Sufi order) practices. It is a spiritual condition when a person loses the awareness of self (wajd), immersed in an altered state of consciousness while performing the dhikr (devotional remembrance) or singing songs/poems in praise of the Prophet Muhammad (mawlid). Dhikr, the remembrance of God through repetitive utterance of praise accompanied by rhythmic movements would often induce a person into the state of zauq. This experience is believed to signify closeness or connection with the divine and manifested through intensified bodily gestures or aural expressions. Sufis consider this as beyond sensorial experience, an extraordinary feeling (rasa) that is difficult to comprehend and describe. However, this embodiment of spirituality is not without contestations among Muslims in Malaysia. There are differences among scholars as to the permissibility of dance, music and excessive bodily movements while doing the dhikr leading to the state of zauq and wajd. Despite the controversy, Sufi tariqas continue to perform dhikr and mawlid, sometimes involving foreign Sheikhs and with the support of certain state religious authorities. Drawing upon Sufi texts, interviews and observations, this paper looks into current tariqa spiritual expressions, the zauq experience and how negotiations are made by Sufis to maintain their esoteric practices.

Paper 2: Embodying Extrinsic – Intrinsic Perception of Movement and Gesture in Zapin Dance

This paper attempts to present the paradigmatic perception of Performative Sufism embodying extrinsic and intrinsic sensorial perception of body movements and gestures of specific tariqat (Sufi orders) in the Zapin dance in Peninsula Malaysia. Performed with zikir or dhikr (performative remembrance through repetitive utterance glorifying God), Zapin as a culture specific structured movement system becomes the crucible for the communion/embracement with God through the perceived extrinsic and intrinsic sensorial sensory perception of emotive and physical stimulations. These are shaped by body movement and gesture, embodying the processes of hearing (sama') and moving the Zapin dance with zikir/dhikr. The notion of spirituality and performative Sufism within the religious corporeal surroundings are both extrinsically and intrinsically represented at two levels; an inclusive performative social dance genre and an exclusive spiritual/mystical order of Sufis through muted dhikr. This paper focuses on the dichotomies of inclusivity and exclusivity of performative Sufism and how Zapin performers perceive their world of spirituality as an active process of interpretating movement and gesture in musicking Zapin, a process that will continue to evolve around an inward contemplation of God's existence.

Paper 3: Water Bodies as Inspiration: Zapin Creativity in Singapore

Zapin is one of five folk Malay music-dance genres practiced in Singapore. It is one of the prominent forms that is frequently popularized and choreographers would embed relevant symbolisms that are related to natural and cultural elements. This paper will analyze three Singaporean iconic works, Zapin Sungai Kallang, Zapin Gemersik Ombak and Zapin Gelombang which were created during the turn of the millennium by Malay dance practitioners. In this paper, close attention will be given to the moving bodies enacting movement systems, specifically the corporealities and gestures that are inspired by bodies of water. It will attempt to acknowledge water as the connector of the archipelagic and the core of Malay geographic philosophy by considering the choreographic strategies to embody water’s different characteristics inherent in the dances. With the inclusion of my perspective as an active dancer trained primarily in traditional Malay dance in Singapore, imbued with a deep understanding of its contexts, histories and philosophies, this paper employs (auto)ethnography and dance analysis as methods of analysis. It will show how these Zapin dance creations are inherently cultural processes that can create an awareness of (i) spatialities, (ii) liminalities, (iii) materialities and (iv) modalities. It is hoped that with more acknowledgment of such works as cultural application of knowledge, practitioners and scholars can further recognise Malay dance’s capacity and capability as contemporary critical responses to indigenous and minority people’s circumstances in the nation-state.

ABSTRACT. Hong Kong and Shanghai are two Chinese societies always described as Twin Cities. Scholars compare the two cities’ economic, political, and societal developments because of their similar backgrounds (ruled or controlled by foreign countries, multicultural, coastal cities, having foreign trades, etc.) and roles in modern Chinese societies (as financial and cultural centres). Additionally, Hong Kong served as a temporary resting place for many Chinese people during the wars and unstable political periods in the twentieth century. Many tycoons from Shanghai chose to move their business to Hong Kong after 1949, which helped Hong Kong’s economy rapidly develop in the 1950s-60s and multiplised the domestic culture. That is also one of the reasons why scholars such as Leo Lee argue that the 1960s Hong Kong and the 1930s Shanghai are like a mirror to each other. When studying their contemporary music and dance performances, we can find similar phenomena happening in both cities, such as an expression of nostalgia, a sense of emotional liberation, and an awareness of self-consciousness.

This panel explores the construction of their identity in both cities in different periods. The first paper studies concerns several cover songs created since the 2019 pro-democracy protests to investigate issues of colonial nostalgia and domestic consciousness that reemerged in recent Hong Kong. The second paper explores the relationship between the popularity of Cuban salsa dance and the restoration of urban lifestyles in Shanghai. It studies how participants liberated themselves from social and emotional restrictions and rebuilt their self-consciousness through practices and performances. The third paper studies three Hong Kong Cantopop songs from the 1970s and 1980s to address the changes in the relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China and explore how Hong Kong people gradually constructed their identity and confidence with the economic and social development.

Paper 1: “Happiness in Suffering: Parody Cover Songs, Nostalgia, Unisonance in Post-2019 Hong Kong” Covering—the act of rearranging preexisting songs or rewriting lyrics for preexisting melodies—has been a common practice in popular music in postwar Hong Kong. This paper is a study of several cover songs created since the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Produced by both professional and amateur musicians, these cover songs have been circulated by Hong Kong netizens on popular online platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and LIHKG. Most of the songs I discuss in this paper are the cover versions of Cantopop songs from the 1980s to early 2000s with newly written social and political satire lyrics. I examine these recent cover songs beyond the role of an outlet for liberal voices when the freedom of expression and assembly is increasingly of concern. By looking into the song choices, lyrics, musical characteristics, and re-interpretation, I suggest that these cover songs are also an expression of colonial nostalgia as well as a less confrontational call for cross-generational participation in the nation-building of Hong Kong.

Paper 2: “Performing Contradiction of Cuban Salsa in Shanghai” “Baila Asi” is a Spanish phrase for dance like this and is used as the name of a Shanghai Cuban salsa dance school. The cosmopolitan salsa and ballroom dance scene is popular in the current urban space of Shanghai because of its implied globalisation, cosmopolitanism, exoticism, and class-based identity. Cuban salsa was brought to China around the 2010s by a Chinese salsero, whose salsa pedagogy has been institutionalised in salsa schools in major cities of China. Through teaching, learning, and dancing salsa, Baila Asi can be seen as a form of localised salsa and “restored behaviour” for Shanghai’s urbanites (Schechner 2002). This paper focuses on the Shanghai Cuban salsa school Baila Asi, its dance practice, performance, and salsa practitioners’ bodily performance and their reception to the dancing body of salsa. Borrowing insights from Waxer’s studies of salsa’s transnational circulation (Waxer 2002), gender performativity on music and body (Butler 1990), and Bigenho’s (2012) concept of intimate distance. I explore the circulation, commodification, style, and embodiment of Cuban salsa dance in Shanghai. By studying the voice of local subjectivities (Feld 2012), I bring attention to this specific intercultural context of the Cuban teacher in Shanghai and the local significance and meanings of salsa. I suggest that Shanghai salsa practitioners’ desire to be close to the cultural other opens new cultural boundaries and liberates the disciplined and gendered Confusion body by engaging in salsa practice. I argue that their participation turns Shanghai Cuban salsa into a site that allows them to perform contradiction through exotic dance moves (Fiske 1989). For those who live under Confucianism and a modern socialist lifestyle, salsa dancing liberates them from the restrictions of current social norms. It allows them to perform “wildness,” cosmopolitanism, a sense of emotional liberation, and exoticised narratives of ethnic others through the stereotype of salsa.

Paper 3: “From Refugee, Co-builder to Dream-maker: the Identity Construction in Hong Kong Cantopop Songs (1970s - early 80s)” It is a study of three Hong Kong Cantopop songs released in the 1970s and 1980s. These songs reflected the changes in the relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China and the construction of Hong Kong’s identity. The Hong Kong Cantopop music industry blossomed in the 1970s and 1980s, accompanied by the rapid development of the economy in Hong Kong. Especially after the first free TV company was established in 1968 and watching TV became an essential daily activity, the demand for Cantopop songs increased for musical programmes and as theme songs of TV dramas. Local musicians and lyricists emerged to create songs reflecting social and political status and public sentiments. The paper focuses on three songs, “Below the Lion Rock” 獅子山下 (1972), “Selection” 抉擇 (1979), and “China’s Dream” 中國夢 (1983), written by James Wong 黃霑 (1941-2004), a prominent lyricist and writer. It investigates Hong Kong people’s psychological changes from mainland China refugees to Hong Kong co-builders and dream-makers of imaginary China. The first two songs, the theme songs of TV dramas popular in the 1970s, express the hardship and bitterness experienced by people who escaped from China and rebuilt a new home in Hong Kong, echoing the political and societal situations between Hong Kong and China, where was still in the Cultural Revolution when the first song was released. The third one, written before the signing of the Sino-Anglo Joint Declaration in 1984, showed Hong Kong people’s hope for a better China where people enjoy freedom and happiness. The paper explores the construction of Hong Kong’s identity in the 1970s and early 1980s by studying the lyrics and music arrangement.

ABSTRACT. Within Mexico, mistranslation and appropriation have been clear hegemonic tools employed to facilitate cultural erasure, religious conversion, and hybridization of native epistemologies with Hispanic Catholicism for the last 500 years. This paper, in part, serves as a historiography of materials produced by Nahua scribes under the Catholic church’s supervision, including Fray Bernardino de Sahagún's project, "Historia General de las cosas de nueva España" (1577), commonly known as the "Florentine Codex". I focus on "Book XII'' of this twelve book Historia, its production, and the malicious influence of the mistranslation from the Nahuatl narrative to the lingua francha. This is demonstrated through the exploration of strategic omissions and the dissection of misunderstood keywords that hold distinctive cultural and cosmological connotations for the Mexica. Through comparative analysis, the post-revolutionary cultural appropriations enacted by composer Carlos Chavez in his 1936 orchestral work, "Sinfonía India" will be explored as an alternative form of mistranslation and as a reverberation of colonialism in a post-colonial moment. The sociopolitical context of Chavez's music will be analyzed to understand its complicity and advancement of nationalism, colonization, and the eradication of indigenous voices. My work builds on the scholarship of Nahuatl speakers in academia, including Kevin Terraciano, Louise Burkhart, Miguel León-Portilla, and James Lockhart, as well as indigenous intellectuals, including Victor Ángel Linares, who have traditionally been excluded from academia through a de-facto system of subordination. By examining the syncretic cultural documents and expressions through a lens of bifocality and cognitive dissonance, this paper attends to unheard, hidden transcripts from the subaltern that challenge the colonial hegemony sustained by these lexical mistranslations and analogous appropriations.

ABSTRACT. An ethno-linguistic group widely known as the lowland Gaddangs situated inside a commercial town in Nueva Vizcaya adopted a musical tradition that has been passed down to them since the early 1960s. This study on the emergence of brass bands in Solano and the loss of knowledge and utilization of indigenous traditional instruments calls for another ethnomusicological perspective, especially since the ethnography shows how the brass instruments were transformed by the Gaddangs into mechanical agencies of social cohesion. Guided by the Maussian concept of the gift, the research problem seeks to answer the economic implications, social contribution, and the moral exchange Gaddang musical performances facilitate in the community. Immersion in daily rehearsals captured the zeal of the younger ones in honing their theoretical knowledge and skills in music for a sense of accomplishment and mainly for economic sustainability. Participation in made kontrata (contracts) gave first-hand information about how the folk songs included in their predominantly Western repertoire represented constructs of kinship, the flora, and the land. The degree of giving in the Gaddangs of Solano is observed to be binallay - Gaddang word for equally divided - reciprocally fair in the way of organizing people, fees, and even some musical arrangements for the band. The continuance of this peripheral activity manifests the town’s moral need to satisfy its aesthetic hunger through musicians who do not consider the option to stop because, for the Gaddangs, to disband would be to stop giving.

ABSTRACT. From the early twentieth century, throughout the island of Ireland, the two-row button accordion has largely been associated with Irish traditional music. The partition of Ireland in 1921 divided the province of Ulster constitutionally, with six of the nine Ulster counties forming Northern Ireland, a constituent country within the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is divided politically and religiously, which resulted in thirty years of conflict known as ‘The Troubles’ (1968-1998). Music plays an important role in the communication of identity in Northern Ireland; Irish traditional music is often associated with a Catholic and Nationalist community, while marching bands and parading are most associated with Protestantism and Loyalism. Much focus has concentrated on the fife and drum bands, with little attention been paid to accordion bands.

The button accordion’s adaption and popularity in Ireland was significantly influenced by the national organisation Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) and its competitive structures leading to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Despite this, the number of competitors in accordion band competitions organised by CCÉ remains low. While CCÉ has a strong nationalist history, the Ulster Bands Forum, a free webzine for members and supporters of Marching Bands and the Loyal Orders, includes photographs of several unionist political leaning accordion bands. Membership of the non-sectarian North of Ireland Bands Association includes two accordion bands. The Northern Ireland Open Accordion Championships state that membership of marching accordion bands has surged twenty percent in the last five years.

Through an examination of the parades, marching band events, newspaper articles, and archival research, this paper will investigate accordion marching bands and their positionality within Ulster. It seeks to broaden an understanding of the role of music in the expression of political identity and the awareness of non-political engagement in musicking in a politically charged society.

ABSTRACT. True Echoes was both an international research project and a cultural heritage reconnection programme, working with some of the earliest ethnographic wax cylinder collections at the British Library, recorded between 1898 and 1924 in the Torres Strait Islands (Australia), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Working in collaboration with international cultural institutions and Traditional Knowledge Communities in Oceania, museums and archives in the UK and a network of international researchers to undertake research and cultural heritage reconnection across an area of vast linguistic and cultural diversity.

The project combined historical research based on the recordings with participatory research, conducted by our international partners with the communities whose cultures these recordings represent. Recordings were used not only as data collection tools but also as a source of information and dialogue between researchers and participants and as a means to disseminate research results, validating the hypothesis that sound recordings are a particularly appropriate means to reconnect communities with oral traditions and raise the profile of indigenous knowledge. The True Echoes website - presents this research in dual pathways which link the voices of the past and present together, creating a more balanced perspective of Oceanic cultural histories, and releasing the voice of many cultural ancestors back into circulation for cultural heritage communities and researchers to enjoy.

The panel’s structure will be based around 4 presentations of 15 minutes, illustrating different perspectives on the True Echoes project. Including an introduction to the project, the framework, and the website, with further country and international institution specific findings within the larger umbrella of a collaborative project. The panel will deliberate whether this is a model that could be used to 'reconnect' more historical collections through international co-operation between institutions, whilst bringing ‘community voices’ to the foreground in the dual pathway that the website allows.

ABSTRACT. Syntax is inextricably linked to dance because it involves possibility within constraints. It is present in dance improvisation and in the variations in which different bodies interpret and perform a dance. The purpose of this panel is to explain why syntax is important, to propose a method to undertake the syntax of a dance practice systematically, and to discuss problems and considerations related to the study of syntax.

The first paper presents a critical review of the method for structural analysis developed in the 1970s by the IFMC/ICTMD, focusing on the need to study improvisation using a non-temporal theoretical framework. In the case of tango, non-temporal elements include the vertical axes of the dancers, the ball of the foot and the center of gravity of the dancing couple, which determine their possibilities for improvisation. Moreover, the fluent uttering and interpretation of bodily signs between the dance partners is key for interaction, and hence for the dance syntax to unfold.

The second paper defines dance syntax as the set of principles that rule the combination of discrete movement elements. Next, it discusses the application of the method of finite-state automata (borrowed from computer science) to the Cumbia Cienaguera as practiced by the San Felipe Apóstol group in Cali, Colombia, studying how the differently abled bodies of the dancers perform the same motif in different ways.

The third paper discusses some of the strengths and limitations of the method of finite-state automata to approach dance syntax, and proposes an Aristotelian hylomorphic framework as a general way to construe variation and possibility in dance. In this way, syntax can also be construed as operations that dancers perform individually and jointly on their bodies to achieve a common dance form.

ABSTRACT. The Water Festival (Ri Long Poye) is an ancient tradition of the Marma Community, a vibrant and diverse ethnic group. It heralds the arrival of the summer season and inaugurates the new year as per their lunar calendar. Historically, it has been celebrated as part of the Sangrai Festival (New Year celebration). Splashing is a symbolic act where people happily splash each other with water to show blessings and goodwill. The festival is celebrated in several parts during the day. In the early hours of the day, they doused the Buddha statue in the monastery and the elderly with water. Adolescent single boys and girls specifically compete in a water festival competition that features traditional kinds of music and dances. Despite its rich cultural heritage and significance, in contemporary times, media influence and widespread popularity have led many young people to embrace Western, Hindi, or Bengali music. Deforestation, pollution, and altered weather patterns affect the quantity and quality of water available for the festival. Political unrest and conflict in the region have also created barriers. However, we looked into the Rajsthali Upazila, Rangamati district, Bangladesh. By understanding and documenting the rituals, music, and dance associated with the festival, we can contribute to the preservation and appreciation of Marma indigeneity, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation. To increase public awareness of the value of sustainable practices and river conservation, this study will emphasise the difficulties the Marma community faces due to environmental degradation. The research examines the facts by conducting interviews and close observation of the festivals, and it discusses steps that can be taken to address the crisis.

ABSTRACT. Japanese Gagaku, inscribed on UNESCO’s “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” and still transmitted by the Imperial Household Agency, developed from ancient court music and is well-known today as one of the oldest instrumental ensembles worldwide. Focusing on its performance aboard decorated floating stages, this paper describes its performance, its sound, and its impact on ancient court society. Examples are drawn principally from descriptions in diaries of executive government officers from the eleventh to the thirteenth century and thus rely heavily on earlier studies in philological history. The special pair of boats used for this musical performance were called “dragon and fowl heads” because of the beautiful sculpture of these imaginary creatures on the bow of each. Music was played not only on the water but also on land, and the contrast and integration of performances on both sides produced a temporal-spacial magnificence in a garden of rustic charm. The occasions for which “dragon and fowl heads” were used, the pieces played, the performers aboard and on land, and the resulting visual and audible effects will be described. Consideration of the social impact of these events in the highly class-conscious court is also significant. This paper demonstrates the theatrical and social effects of the floating-moving performance as well as the great opportunities available in application of historical-philological studies to the ethnomusicological area.

ABSTRACT. The Kalabari of the Niger Delta have unique funeral rites within their culture that incorporates music and dance as a mark of final honour for the dead. The funeral rites have experienced lots of transformation as a result of different external influences of which oil spilled environmental pollution is a major factor. Diverse studies from different theoretical orientations have investigated the effects of oil spilt pollution in Kalabari land, particularly as it affects the economic activities of the people. However, the consequence of the oil spilt pollution on the music performance of the rites as a crucial aspect of the culture of Kalabari people has not received adequate research attention. Thus, this study set out to address the intersections of music, culture and environmental concerns that affect the funeral rite music of the Kalabari of the Niger Delta, in Nigeria. Furthermore, the study examines how the elements of mourning and lamentation within music, dance and rituals have been affected by environmental degradation. An ethnographic design was adopted for this research which involves participant observation, oral interviews and focused group discussion as instruments for eliciting data. Findings show that the oil-spilt environmental pollution has strong negative effects on the sonic production of the musical instruments used for the funeral rites of the Kalabari people. The study also reveals that the environmental pollution of the communities posed a strong emotional effect on the participation of the indigenous people of Kalabari in their funeral rites practices. This study argues that music is a powerful tool for explaining environmental degradation within the funeral rite of Kalabari culture and could help advocate environmental and cultural sustainability.

ABSTRACT. The paper delves into the historical backdrop of cultural patronage in Tunisia and how it paved the way for establishing a national musical policy. Of particular importance is the recent recognition of Baron D'Erlanger's musical archives by The UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2023 is of great significance to scholars engaged in Tunisian and broader MENA ethnomusicology research. The Arab and Mediterranean Music Center, inaugurated by Tunisian cultural authorities in 1992, has been safeguarding these valuable archives, previously the lavish residence of D'Erlanger in the early 20th century. Today, the center is an important institution pillar for Tunisia's music policy. D'Erlanger, a prominent cultural patron in Tunisian musical history, cannot be overstated, as he played an instrumental role in inspiring local music connoisseurs and musicians to push the boundaries and take a musical policy project to new heights. However, the project stems from a legacy of innovative initiatives dating back to the Beylik of Tunis reign in the early 1800s, e.g., Ahmad Bey, who was a forward-thinking figure who tirelessly dedicated himself to modernizing music education nationwide and founded Tunisia's first-ever Conservatory in 1837. This remarkable occurrence remains unacknowledged despite its historical significance, mainly in Tunisian music scholarship. This research questions the intriguing realm surrounding a Tunisian music policy: When was this term initially introduced, and what is its tangible impact in practical terms? By conducting extensive research, including scrutinizing musical archives at Tunis city's archive institutions, and conducting ethnographic and historical inquiries at cultural sites connected to the prominent Tunisian musical policy landmarks. The findings offer fresh perspectives that challenge traditional interpretations relevant to music policy in Tunisia. Ultimately, this paper seeks to unearth the origins of this policy and its genuine significance, which has been overlooked by Tunisian music scholars, enriching scholarly discussions on this topic.

ABSTRACT. The Tunisian Jasmin revolution that occurred on January 14th, 2011, marks the beginning of the Arab Spring and the subsequent transition to a post-revolution democracy. This has sparked a cultural identity debate among cultural activists and intellectuals, which has become a critical theme in the post-revolution cultural scene. The national musical identity has played a crucial role in this discussion. This paper delves into the impact of the revolution on the national musical scene, as well as the relevant cultural policies and institutions. In the pre-revolution context, the Ministry of Culture played a pivotal role in shaping musical policy. However, after the revolution, this governmental cultural institution has taken the lead in driving the country's democratic transition. This research aims to address key questions such as the alternative cultural-musical policies and politics currently pursued by the government, and whether post-revolution cultural authorities have been successful in meeting the demands of the new cultural-musical policy. The research was conducted over three years (2020-2023) in Tunisia, using various research methods, including archival studies, fieldwork, research mapping, survey research, qualitative research methods such as interviewing and observation. The findings from both archival and fieldwork research offer empirical results on the concrete contributions of the Ministry of Culture in terms of institutions, participants in cultural debates, and reforms in domains under the Ministry's purview. Additionally, they offer insights into the Ministry of Culture's involvement in the realm of musical policy and the challenges faced by cultural politics in relation to society. Overall, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of musical policy in the post-revolution era. This topic has received limited attention in the realm of MENA research and has yet to be studied in the depth it deserves.

ABSTRACT. In the wake of the 2011 Jasmine Revolution, Tunisia embarked on a substantial journey towards democratic governance, catalyzing major changes in its cultural policies. The Ministry of Culture has been instrumental in various domains under its purview, with a key emphasis on ensuring unbiased and equitable management of government-funded cultural endeavors. This paper delves into the evolution of Tunisian dance policy, charting its path from a marginalized cultural niche to becoming a fully institutionalized art form. In 2018, the dance sector reached a pivotal moment in Tunisia, receiving official recognition from the Ministry of Culture and coinciding with establishing the Tunisian City of Culture - the country's most enormous cultural edifice. A Department of Dance was established as an integral component of this new cultural hub, previously a sub-administration under the Department of Music and Popular Arts. The Department is now granted budgetary autonomy, empowering it to lead its activities and promote dance policy nationwide. This research inquiries critical questions surrounding Tunisian dance policy: What is the cultural value of dance, and how is it perceived in Tunisian society? How have institutional changes impacted dance professionals' experiences? Will the cultural policy shift after the revolution have a lasting impact on dance policy? Conducted over a three-year period from 2020 to 2023, the research involved archival research to trace relevant laws relating to dance policy. Qualitative research methods, e.g., interviews and observations, were employed to provide deeper insight into the findings. The outcomes drawn from this inquiry provide valuable insights into the origins of Tunisia's dance policy and the Ministry of Culture's endeavors to safeguard and promote the country's rich dance heritage, including recognition on UNESCO's lists. The paper prompts critical reflection on Tunisian dance policy, an area that has received limited attention in existing literature on Tunisian ethnomusicology research.

ABSTRACT. This study is based on the contemporary healing ritual performance called "Kuveni Yakkama" which I developed. It focuses on the role of a female dancer in a patriarchal society, referencing historical resources and focusing on Kuveni. Kuveni is depicted as one of the powerful spiritual indigenous women found in local rituals. She is known for using her curse after her husband king Vijaya abandoned her and her children. The Indian prince Vijaya became the king with the help of Kuveni, made children with her and later, chased them away. Literature review and the foundational origin myth showed how the character of Kuveni is ignored and Vijaya is celebrated as it connects to Sinhala nationalism. Another source of evidence comes from the Kohomba kankariya, which is considered a reenactment of a ritual performed to heal king Panduvasdev the successor of king Vijaya who got affected by the curse of Kuveni. The study argues that Kuveni’s identity as an indigenous woman and her curse has been received by society, but society has forgotten Vijaya’s inhumane reaction to her contribution to womanhood. This study aims to open up a discourse on the space for indigenous women's knowledge using ‘Kuveni Yakkama’ through ritual performance. It is an experimental work that can be called “practice as research”. The study is based on using dance as a method of incorporating auto-ethnography as a methodology. It involves embodied knowledge, improvisation, and body consciousness of the researcher. The findings of this research help to explore a new approach to healing by drawing on the lives of Kuveni and finding ways to build mental and physical strength of people to resist the challenges of contemporary society.

ABSTRACT. As one of the vital forms, the Bhawaiya song has been predominantly practiced in the Northern part of Bangladesh and North-Eastern region of India for centuries. This performance style signifies a collective human spirit of agrarian-diasporic people and the feminine solitude and heart-rending cry through a unique way of singing that articulates a dialect and texture of tune socio-aesthetically informed by the neighbouring indigenous languages within the sphere of standardised Bengali. This research aims to explore the distinguished musical genre in an anthropological understanding positing a question of how a collective entity is formed through a musical practice that symbolises their world-vision through a distinctive way of living. This research concentrates on the biomechanical characteristics of Bhawaiya’s tune that expresses the analogy between the arhythmic movement of buffalo-carts on rugged roads and the ups-and-downs of the lives of singers who drive the carts. In addition to the movement of rugged roads defining the fast rhythm, this style interiorises the diverse tempos including the wavy movement of torrent river that represents the idiosyncratic tune of slow rhythm symbolising the sufferings caused by destined calamities. This paper, therefore, focuses on the genre as an epistemic gap employing the method of fieldwork to collect primary data aiming to create a reimagined performance of Bhawaiya which will be presented along with a critical review.

ABSTRACT. Dulanga Gunarathna I.R.Sampath dulangag@kln.ac.lk 0704354276 University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka The origin of dance has different perspective, and it is a complex and multifaceted topic that spans across cultures, societies, and historical periods. It has been an integral part of human expression and social interaction throughout history. Masculinity is the key fact which is influenced to build up the gender base dance format and the expression of dancers who are expertise in dance all around the world. In ancient communities can be identified the specific gender features and movements that are deeply embedded in cultural norms and rituals. Sri Lankan Kandyan dance is communicated therapeutic and entertaining dynamic approach. Based on gender, the expression of the movements has showcased significant features. In this study explore that how the movement, gesture, and embodiments are portrayed in the Kandyan dance based on gender perspective. Kandyan dance can be identified as an indigenous art which was expressed the beliefs of prehistoric era. Impact of political and the cultural identification of colonial era, this dance was used for different perspectives, and it was performed as mode of healing and mode of entertaining art. Although it has shown the identity of transformation, gender-based masculinity dance embodiment has not changed yet. Both traditional and the modern dancers who has been learning and performing the Kandyan dance is used to follow up the movement, expression, gestures and keep up their embodiment according to the techniques which were introduced by the ancestors. Based on following research question I will explore my research. Why and how masculinity, make the significant features, movements, gestures, and embodiments of the Kandyan Dance in Sri Lanka? After analyzing the historical evidence, interviews and dance performance and personal experience I will emphasize that masculine features of Kandyan dance forms in Sri Lanka.

ABSTRACT. This presentation explores the fusion of death metal music and Buddhist culture in Taiwan as exemplified by the band Dharma. Established in 2018, Dharma has remained popular with diverse audiences, The members come from Taiwan and Canada, including Venerable Mioben, drummer Jack, bassist Bull, vocalist Joe, guitarist Jon, and Andy, all of whom are Buddhist disciples who have taken refuge in the Three Jewels.Recently increased their profile with the release of their first album in 2021. The intense sounds of death metal might seem to be in conflict with the peaceful teachings of Buddhism, but the Dharma band has merged these elements to create a novel musical experience. While the fast rhythms and roaring vocals resonate with the protective and wrathful elements of Buddhism, the lyrics, draw from scriptures, aim to alleviate suffering and illuminate the path to enlightenment. Commentators have observed the potential alignment between death metal's exploration of existence themes, such as the impermanence of the body, and Buddhist doctrines of transcendence and impermanence, as well as the sonic and physical experience involved in the reception of the music. This cultural phenomenon of Dharma and their music raises critical questions about how religious experiences are enacted through sound, and also how an awareness of the sacred is conveyed through popular genres, such as metal. Based on my current PhD research about Buddhist music in Taiwan, this presentation will examine how Dharma challenges traditional cultural boundaries in Taiwan regarding ritualistic practice and communal experience, and it will discuss how musicians adapt Buddhist ideas to contemporary settings.

ABSTRACT. "Syndaskrynkel" is an old Swedish derogatory term for the accordion, translating to "wrinkle of sin," reflecting its societal association with a leisurely, sinful lifestyle. Bohman (2007) have discussed how it was connected to the archetype of a young, careless, unmarried farmhand, a dräng. In Nordic cultures, the accordion has lost its rebellious connotations, becoming linked instead to an aging population and perceived unsophistication. The musical genre associated with the accordion in Sweden, "Gammeldans", has been despised by classically trained listeners as well as from within the folk music movement itself. The accordion is today often seen as an instrument for old people, vaguely associated with ideals of nature and the countryside (Bohman 2007).

Yet, these very associations allowed the accordion to carve out an unexpected niche in modern metal music. This paper explores how metal bands have creatively employed the accordion to craft unique sonic landscapes, challenge genre boundaries, and expand thematic horizons. By analyzing case studies, from folk metal to avant-garde metal, and conducting qualitative research, including interviews with accordionists, this study elucidates the instrument's role in diversifying metal compositions.

Additionally, it investigates how the accordion navigates complex ideological positions, from notions of homeland to cultural universality (Fredriksson 2021). The aim of the study is to deepen our understanding of musical hybridity, cultural negotiation, and the transformative potential of unconventional instrumentation in contemporary music. It underscores the accordion's ability to defy expectations, broaden artistic horizons, and introduce new modes of expression in the ever-evolving landscape of metal music.

Bohman, S., Lundberg, D. & Ternhag, G. (red.) (2007). Musikinstrument berättar: instrumentforskning idag. Hedemora: Gidlund. Fredriksson, D. (2021). ‘Not Folk Metal, but...’ [Elektronisk resurs] Online intercultural musicking in ‘the Grove’. Svenska samfundet för musikforskning.

ABSTRACT. Music makes people move in spontaneous ways. Whether dancing with friends, or attending a concert, the urge to move to music is a characteristic shared by many musical cultures.

The manner in which someone moves freely to music is determined by intersecting endogenous, exogenous, and contextual factors. Exogenous factors might include musical features such as rhythm or genre. Endogenous factors are internally motivated, and might include dancer’s personalty traits or current mood. Contextual factors are related to space and/or cultural aspects, such as the place the activity takes place (dance club, religious meeting) as well as social influences such as other people taking part in the activity.

In this presentation, we will review various studies within the embodied music cognition framework carried out within our research group that have investigated the relationships between dance and individual traits, with a focus on music’s role in developing social bonds.

A main tool used in our research has been optical motion capture. Optical motion capture analysis offers a comprehensive and precise approach to studying human movement. Across various studies, we have used motion capture to compute features related to dancers’ movement speed, acceleration and joint angle measurement. Through interdisciplinary collaboration across music cognition, psychology, and technology, our research elucidates the intricate relationship between music, movement, and technology.

At the conference we will present latest findings of a study currently in progress that explores how dancing together mediates the development of social bonds within adolescent pairs. We will also examine current trends in music and movement research, which uses marklerless motion capture, and wearable sensing technology. Such technology is more immersive and ideal for studying music and movement in more ecological settings and ideal for field work.