Dancestors (2025)

This unique project, supported by British Council Malaysia’s Connections Through Culture grant, bridges South Asian and Orang Asli Semai cultures through dance while addressing issues faced by these marginalised communities around the loss of their land and traditions.

By combining ancient and contemporary dance forms, Dancestors seeks to create new works that reflect the experiences of marginalised communities. This initiative will involve workshops and performances in Malaysia, culminating in a large-scale work-in-progress. 

In July 2025, Artistic Director Suba and dance artist Jesal Patel, along with Gerimis Arts and filmmakers worked with the members of Malaysia’s Orang Asli Semai community. Together they explored and shared their culture and stories through dance and movement. The participants were from Luheiw Renaweij group founded by Ronnie Bahari.

This collaborative journey involved co-creating workshops and performances, building towards a film of the work-in-progress.

A consultation session and a workshop were held with participants back in April, attended by Wen Di Sia of Geremis Arts and Ronnie Bahari, the founder of the Semai dance group.