Sport & Art of Silat: Watering the Flower

Singapore HeritageFest 2025
Sport & Art of Silat: Watering the Flower

Discover the cultural depth of Silat through a fireside chat and an immersive outdoor workshop exploring the martial art's connection to nature and movement. Programme organised by Sport Singapore on 4 May 2024 in conjunction with the Singapore HeritageFest, organised by HeritageSG and National Heritage Board. (Credit: Nusantara Theatrics)

"The creation myth of Silat Tua shares many similarities with other styles of Silat. There is a warrior, who through certain circumstances, comes into conflict with Nature, and then discovers that they must learn from their environment to, in turn, better themselves.” – Tan Guo Lian Sutton, Nusantara Theatrics

In conjunction with the Singapore HeritageFest, organised by HeritageSG and National Heritage Board, Sport Singapore organised the “Sport & Art of Silat: Watering the Flower”, an engaging dialogue and introductory workshop on 4 May 2025.

Opening demonstration by national athletes from PERSISI: Front row (R to L): Artistic First Team Muhammad Farrel Danish bin Mohamed Farid, SpexScholar Muhammad Iqbal bin Abdul Rahman, Artistic First Team Muhammad Khir bin Mohamad, and SpexScholars - Nur Ashikin binte Zulklfli, Iffah Batrisya binte Noh and Amirah binte Sahrin. Back row (L to R): Teresa Teo Guttensohn/AD Sport Heritage & Curator/SportSG, Artistic Coach Nur Fazlin, Khaizuran Ahmad/Advisor to PERSISI, Toh Boon Yi/Deputy CEO/SportSG, Tan Guo Lian Sutton and Jamil Schulze from Nusantara Theatrics. (Credit: Singapore HeritageFest 2025)

   Artistic First Team Muhammad                                                                                   SpexScholar Amirah binte Sahrin
Darrel Danish bin Mohamed Farid
(Credit: Singapore HeritageFest 2025)

Held at the Yan Kit Pool Heritage Gallery (Singapore’s second public pool and the birthplace of our national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim), the cosy heritage chat was followed by an outdoor workshop that connected imagination, movement, and natural inspirations of air (water in Malay) and bunga (flower in Malay).

Led by Tan Guo Lian Sutton from Nusantara Theatrics, the workshop invited participants to learn foundational Silat Tari (freestyle dance) footwork inspired by the natural elements of bunga (flower in Malay) and air (water in Malay), in a location steeped in heritage. (Credit: Singapore HeritageFest 2025)

Participants getting into the niat (intention in Malay) and feel of Silat Tari at Yan Kit Playfield. (Credit: Singapore HeritageFest 2025)

The UNESCO-recognised martial art of Silat or Pencak Silat was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019.

Rooted in the Malay Archipelago, this ancient martial art once a form of self-defence for warriors of Nusantara has been culturally and combatively influenced by India and China due to centuries of proximity and interaction.

Silat performance from the past. The inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Singapore includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants. (Credit: Roots)

Today, Silat is widely practised across Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam), with diverse styles and manifestations.

The competitive sport form, Pencak Silat, has also reached five continents. Singapore remains a strong contender, with several World Champions including national silat exponents Sheik Ferdous Sheik Alau’ddin, his brother Sheik Farhan, Muhammad Iqbal Abdul Rahman, and Nurul Suhaila Mohamed Saiful.

Guest Speaker from PERSISI, Khaizuran Ahmad (in red shirt), shared insights on the importance of preserving and safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Pencak Silat – its ceremonies, values and material culture. (Credit: Singapore HeritageFest 2025)

Guest speakers Khaizuran Ahmad, Cultural Heritage Ambassador and Advisor to PERSISI (Singapore Silat Federation), and Tan Guo Lian Sutton, martial artist and educator from Nusantara Theatrics, a creative platform blending theatre and martial arts, spoke on Silat’s dual identity as both sport and performance, its creation myths and its relevance in contemporary society.

"Most Pencak Silat histories are oral traditions, stories and lore passed down through generations including myths and legends, and may have different versions.”– Khaizuran Ahmad, PERSISI

“The culture of Pencak Silat goes through a dynamic evolution process of borrowing, adaption, diffusion and structured interactions. While some view this novelty generation loop as a positive evolution, others see it as a threat to traditional values and inherited principles,” added Khaizuran.

 
Toh Boon Yi, Deputy CEO of Sport Singapore (standing on the right in white tee) presents books published by Sport Singapore, from the Sport in Singapore book trilogy by Dr Nick Aplin, to guest speakers Khaizuran Ahmad (centre, in red shirt) and Tan Guo Lian Sutton (centre, in green shirt). Standing on the left is panel moderator Teresa Teo Guttensohn. (Credit: Singapore HeritageFest 2025)

The fireside chat was attended by athletes, coaches, and members of public from the dance, theatre and heritage communities. The one-hour session was moderated by Teresa Teo Guttensohn, Assistant Director, Sport Heritage & Curator from Sport Singapore (standing, extreme left). (Credit: Singapore HeritageFest 2025)

"Perhaps fighting arts have been disregarded by social scientists in the past, but they are, in fact, valuable doorways into the cultural world of others. Fighting arts possess their own beauty, internal philosophy, and meaningful cultural connections.” – The Fighting Art of Pencak Silat and Its Music: From Southeast Asian Music to Global Movement (2015)