Esplanade Presents

Dance

Mak Yong

Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Matahari & PUSAKA (Malaysia)

10 May 2024, Fri, 6pm & 7.45pm

11 May 2024, Sat, 6pm & 7.45pm

12 May 2024, Sun, 6pm

30mins

(Intermission: None)

Singtel Waterfront Theatre Lawn at Esplanade

Free
Photo credit: Wong Horngyih
Synopsis

Mak Yong is a Malay dance-drama tradition found primarily in the Malaysian state of Kelantan and the Pattani region of southern Thailand. Recognised by UNESCO in 2005 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, Mak Yong encompasses elements of dance, music, acting, singing, and storytelling. It is a folk tradition that enjoyed the patronage of the Kelantan Sultanate until the 1920s, absorbing many refinements of palace arts in the process.

 

The stories mostly recount the adventures and destinies of royal-celestial figures, rooted in the mythology of the old Kelantan-Pattani Sultanates, dating back to the Srivijaya Empire (7th-13th Century). The most elaborate sequence in a Mak Yong performance is the opening song, menghadap rebab, during which the dancers face east in salutation to the rebab (spiked fiddle) before the main story unfolds.

Language: Kelantanese Malay
Things to Note:
Accessibility Advisory: We provide a range of access services and relaxed performances for patrons with access needs. For wheelchair-accessible seats, please call Esplanade Customer Experience at 6828 8377 for assistance. Concessions for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and up to one accompanying companion are available. | View our accessibility guide
Artist Information

Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Matahari

Kumpulan Mak Yong Cahaya Matahari, one of Malaysia's most esteemed Mak Yong groups, was founded by the legendary Che Ning and is now led by veteran Mak Yong actress Che Siti binti Dollah. The group, based in Kuala Besut, comprises of performers tracing their Mak Yong lineage back seven generations and they are dedicated to preserving this tradition for future generations. The ensemble stars Rohana Abdul Kadir, Che Ning's granddaughter, alongside her sisters, her father Pak Su Kadir and other seasoned performers. The music ensemble is led by master gendang player Pak Su Agel, known as ‘Raja Gendang Kelantan’, one of the most accomplished master musicians of Kelantan.

PUSAKA

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PUSAKA is a cultural organisation established to conduct research and create a comprehensive documentary archive of traditional performance in Malaysia, while strengthening the viability of these traditions at the community level. Through curating festivals, organising public performances, and local instruction projects, PUSAKA supports the transmission of these performance traditions to a succeeding generation while providing alternative performance platforms that, above all, preserve the dignity and stature of the traditional performer. In all its work, PUSAKA seeks to establish a deep interaction with aspects of history and contemporary ideas while illuminating and providing an intellectual context for the contemplation of broader aspects of culture, tradition and ideas. PUSAKA received NGO Accreditation by UNESCO in 2024.

Date & Time

10 May 2024, Fri

6pm

Singtel Waterfront Theatre Lawn at Esplanade

7.45pm

Singtel Waterfront Theatre Lawn at Esplanade

11 May 2024, Sat

6pm

Singtel Waterfront Theatre Lawn at Esplanade

7.45pm

Singtel Waterfront Theatre Lawn at Esplanade

12 May 2024, Sun

6pm

Singtel Waterfront Theatre Lawn at Esplanade
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