SEREMBAN: The song 'Alamak Raya Lagi', by all-girl group De Fam, has sparked a phenomenon after a group of sweet Indian girls, known as the Cine Dance, adorned in baju kurung and kebaya, dancing to the song in a raya video clip, went viral on TikTok.
The video clip, featuring 11 dancers, aged 14 to 26, has gained attention on social media platforms, especially on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, garnering nearly 1 million views.
The group’s founder, Thaneswari Rajenthiran, 26, said that the original song, by De Fam, comprising Azira Shafinaz, Cik Manggis and Sophia Liana, encouraged various ethnicities to celebrate Aidilfitri together.
“Our group, comprising 11 dancers, including me as a dance instructor, chose this song because it is trending and well-received by the public on TikTok, besides depicting the real situation of festive celebration.
“To ensure an appealing outing, we chose to wear baju kurung and kebaya, bought ketupat leaves, and used rendang ingredients as props. During the video shoot, we were somewhat pressed for time, as the weather was hot, but I'm satisfied with the result,” she told Bernama.
Thaneswari, from Seremban, said that she and her group only took a few hours to master the choreography and record the video, by choosing the Lembaga Muzium Negeri Sembilan as the location to evoke the Aidilfitri festive atmosphere.
Praising the commitment shown by her students - Matheyarasi Sugumar, Tamaraa Parameswaran, Humaszalini Gunasaykaran, Nonisha Jeyendran, Kishalini Magenthiran, Neena Ramu, Yuvna Moorthy, Pavithrah Thuraibalan, Harsshala Kalai, and Jeyavicknes Jeyraman - in making the video clip a success, Thaneswari said that it also boosts her spirits to continue delivering captivating performances in various music genres, to entertain the public.
The fourth child of five siblings said that it has been a routine for the past five years for the Cine Dance group to record dance video clips for Aidilfitri, according to selected festive songs, but this time they recorded the video clip outdoors.
“Previously, we also recorded dances to popular raya songs on social media, like the song 'Pejam Celik Hari Raya', which was recorded last year,” she said.
Sharing her passion for dance, Thaneswari, who is a student of aviation management, said that dance has been her interest since childhood, and the dance coach aspires to expand her dance classes abroad.
“I enjoy dancing so much. Apart from Seremban, I also travel to Kuala Lumpur, Nilai and Kajang to teach, because my students come from various races. It is fulfilling to engage in something we are passionate about, as it pushes me to be more disciplined and focused to succeed,” she said.
Meanwhile, De Fam’s Sophiatul Liana Mohamed Sobri, better known as Sophia Liana, expressed her joy and appreciation when De Fam's first Raya song, 'Alamak Raya Lagi', gained attention, not only locally, but also internationally.
She said that the support of other ethnic groups, who joined in the Aidilfitri celebrations by showcasing an interesting video using De Fam’s raya song, provides significant meaning, indirectly serving as a bridge of camaraderie among the races in the country.
“Our majority listeners are taking it in positive ways, making it trend on social media, and having fun with their families, that’s our intention... we are very grateful to have people following the trend,“ she said.
“Honestly, we feel very proud when other races also use this song as their content on social media. It means that the song is accepted by the entire community, including the Sabahans and Sarawakians. They also show creativity by incorporating their own languages and dialects through this raya song,“ she added.
