Gendered Embodied Pedagogy at Sanggar Kumpulan Seni Seri Melayu : Negotiating Islamic-Malay Values in Contemporary Riau Malay Dance

This study positions the body as an active agent in embodied pedagogical practice, which perpetuates gender-based movement distinctions at Sanggar Kumpulan Seni Seri Melayu (KSSM) in Pekanbaru. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through observations, performance, digital documentation, and semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that the dancer’s body actively reproduces modesty, bodily decency, and self-control through the repetition of Riau Malay dance techniques. This repetition is reinforced by the use of dance costumes as symbolic capital in stage performances, accentuating the differentiated representations of men’s and women’s bodies. KSSM does not rigidly preserve these distinctions but negotiates them in response to global aesthetic demands emerging from festivals, competitions, events, and digital media. This negotiation produces a hybrid pedagogical model that combines local values with a global aesthetic, positioning the dancer’s body as a physically embodied ethical medium relevant to the contemporary creative industry era.