Dear Friends,
On 19 & 20 (Tues & Wed) March, 2024 we got to experience the second ‘Rumah Kebajikan’, where, as in the previous Orion Centre of Budimas, Senawang, we were able to introduce to the children of the home, our special brand of Sutra Dance Outreach Program.
This particular ‘Home for the under-privileged children’, off Jalan Ipoh, was run by the Hiichiikok Foundation. We thank Budimas Charitable Foundation, one of the contributors, for this introduction.
The Hiichiikok Foundation Home is run by a Chinese lady, Ms Freida Ngui.
The introduction, as I shall explain later, was a great coincidence which I hope will be of positive consequence.
What was endearing about this home was that most of the kids, both boys and girls, were Orang Asli children and youths.
Most of them are from the Temiar community of Gua Musang (Kelantan). One youth was from the Semai tribe of Pahang. The kids were sent to Kuala Lumpur to pursue their studies.
There were also a few Chinese and Indian boys and girls.
The kids were a feisty bunch and most attend the nearby school, in Sentul. Some of the older ones attend the technical colleges nearby.
What was heartening was the multi-racial mix and being kids, they seem totally natural and accepting of their situation and destiny.
Geethika, Harenthiran and I introduced them to the rudiments of movement but we were keen first to let them know dance and movement in a general sense. The Indigenous kids were rhythmically well in-sync as their own music with the consistent pounding of the bamboo, demand they stomp on time.
Through videos we were able to introduce them to various world Music and Dance where we explained the differences between the qualities found in tribal, folk and classical dances of different cultures.
Harenthiran, Geethika and I, demonstrated the different ‘Rasa’ or emotions in dance with which they immediately connected when we danced out the concept of ‘Rasa’ through dance. They were lots of laughter and they were wonderful mimics when together but always shy when we asked them to repeat in front the excellent manner they had shown the ‘Rasa’.
Many years ago, I was involved with the Temiar community of Santeh (upper reaches of Perak near the Kelantan border) through my association with the American anthropologist, Marina Roseman. Marina wrote a book on this beautiful Malaysian Orang Asli community. Santeh was still riddled then with logging activities. Rainforest were being cleared for oil palm and other mono agricultural projects.
I got to know their radio announcer of ‘Asyik FM’ celebrity, Busu Ngah, who took me through the Temiar community cultural ethos and challenges. I also remember, with actor Sabera Shaik, we had invited our friends to partake in a well presented Temiar cuisine and poetry, at Sutra House, bringing 6 chefs to prepare the spread of best of Temiar cuisine.
Somehow, due to our own challenges to survive dance in Malaysia, Sutra had to relinquish this part of our activity.
It is by sheer synchronicity, that I was able to reconnect with the Temiar children and perhaps get them to be empowered by dance in the future. This wish was communicated to their guardian, Ms Frieda Ngui and I hope something will come out of this.
We believe that Arts & Culture are essential in the wholistic process of being civilised. The power that be need to realise this fact even more urgently as we are ‘de-humanised’ and obsessed by the digital technology and AI that have taken over our lives.
Sutra.