Forum 4 (Talk and Workshop): “Zapin and Cultural Diplomacy: A Reflection on Peace and Compassion”
Professor Mohd Anis Md Nor
Executive Director, Nusantara Performing Arts Research Centre (NusPARC)
Professor Mohd Anis Md Nor is a renowned scholar of Ethnochoreology and Ethnomusicology, widely recognised for his pioneering research on Zapin traditions and performing arts in Southeast Asia. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Yayasan Seni Persembahan Nusantara (Nusantara Performing Arts Foundation) and Executive Director of the Nusantara Performing Arts Research Centre (NusPARC), a non-profit organisation in Malaysia dedicated to the research, documentation and publication of Southeast Asian performing arts.
Professor Anis earned his BA (Hons) from the University of Malaya, MA in Dance Ethnology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and PhD in Southeast Asian Studies and Musicology from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on Malay dance and music traditions, intercultural performance practices, and the evolution of new artistic traditions in Southeast Asia and Polynesia.
He has published extensively on the performing arts of Malaysia and Southeast Asia, particularly in the areas of music, dance and theatre. Among his forthcoming books is In Between Islands: Celebrating Dance in Indonesia (Routledge, 2026).
Professor Anis has also held international leadership roles with the World Dance Alliance and the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD). In recognition of his lifelong contributions to arts, culture and heritage preservation, he was honoured with the prestigious Malaysian BOH Cameronian Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also involved in ongoing efforts toward the preparation of a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage nomination dossier for Zapin, and continues to be actively engaged in cultural heritage initiatives, curatorial projects, and the development and preservation of traditional performing arts in Malaysia and the wider region.
This session explores Zapin, a traditional Malay performing art, as a form of cultural diplomacy rooted in peace, compassion and spiritual values. Featuring renowned Zapin scholar, Professor Mohd Anis Md Nor, this presentation focuses on Arabic–Malay cultural diplomacy and its implications on the historical spread of Zapin as a hybrid tradition in the Malay world through peaceful means, based on the principles of Tawhid (the Oneness of God) and rahmah (compassion), which are fundamentally intertwined in Islamic theology, acting as both a spiritual doctrine and a framework for ethical action. Zapin became one of the conduits for cultural exchange through music, movement, song and social interaction.
The session includes a talk and interactive Zapin workshop, offering attendees an opportunity to experience Zapin firsthand. No prior experience is required. Through movement, rhythm and cultural storytelling, Professor Anis will immerse participants in the artistic, cultural and philosophical world of Zapin. The session also forms part of a broader international cultural exchange and traditional arts initiative held in Osaka with the wider community in Japan prior to the conference.