RP's Dikir Barat girls competed in Piala Raja Panggung 2009

In 2007, Piala Raja Panggung was the very first Dikir Barat Competition that RP Dikir Barat's team ever join since the group has been newly established. Although they did not manage to bring home any trophies that year, the girls brought home valuable experiences as they met various well known Dikir Barat teams from all over Singapore.

This year, 2009, the girls made a comeback with a whole lot of new styles, choreographies and concepts. Despite the H1N1 situation, they practiced hard and were determined to do well. There were 2 rounds of competition. The team had to go through a Preliminary round to get into the Final 14. During the preliminary rounds, the girls competed against 20 groups and managed to gain a spot in the Finals.

In the Finals, with great determination RP Dikir Barat team made an impactful appearance on stage. Having to battle out at the inter CC level, the girls proved that their standards are up high. The team got to be the top 3 among the Girls team, and received applause from the judges, who commended on the girls’ effort and energy while the girls were on stage. With that the girls manage to bring home not only 1 but 3 valuable trophies namely "Percussionist with Great Potential", "Awok-Awok with Great Potential" and lastly "Group with Great Potential". It was a tough competition as we were competing against national level dikir barat teams. We were the only tertiary institution which dared to take that challenge.

Our brave girls fought all the way and kept our spirits soaring high. The Dikir Barat team would like to thank The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC), Create Club and MCG advisors, their instructors and all the supporters for their support through the unforgettable journey.

Words by
Nur Shirah Bte Rafidi (2nd Yr SIT student and Head of Dikir Barat)
Nurulain Bte Hussian (3rd Yr SEG student and President of Malay Cultural Group)
Aliza Ramli