BEIJING: Sekolah Seni Malaysia Perak (SSeMP) has once again made the country proud when it won the gold medal at the China Youth Spring Festival Gala Night & Global Youth Talent 2019 on Friday night, through the Mek Mulung and Jikey theatre performances.
The school previously made history when it won the top prize at the Monolit International Festival in Barcelona, Spain in November last year, with the same performances.
SSeMP senior assistant teacher of arts and culture, Zuraini Abdullah, said there was much effort put into highlighting the Mek Mulung play at the international level to preserve the country’s artistic heritage, adding that earning the recognition was the best form of validation.
“This achievement proves that our hard work is worthwhile,” she told Bernama News Channel here on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Izatul Husna Samsuri, 15, who plays the lead character in Mek Mulung, said she was proud to be able to showcase traditional theatre art in Malay to other countries.
“For us, it has been very worthwhile. We received much scolding prior to this (from instructors), but it’s only after achieving this, that we realised that success only comes if we try hard,” said Izatul Husna,
Megat Hezreil Isqandar Megat Maz Ardi, 14, who is also the grandson of legendary Malaysian songwriter Datuk Suhaimi Mohd Zain or ‘Pak Ngah’, said he was delighted to be able to gain new experiences as well as continue the legacy of his grandfather.
“We’ve gained a lot of experience, especially during training. We were also very nervous (during the event), as this was the first time were performing in another country,” he said.
This year’s festival also saw SMJK Heng Ee from Penang bag the gold medal in the dance category while SJKC Perempuan Pulau Pinang received the silver in the choir category and the bronze for dance.
About 2,500 students representing 80 teams from eight countries participated in the competition -Bernama.
