SETAMPUK PINANG : SASANAKALA

Through this performance platform, heritage is engaged as an evolving practice rather than a fixed tradition. SASANAKALA offers audiences access to professionally produced works by Penang dance artists examining embodied knowledge and cultural continuity through contemporary choreographies rooted in tradition. Presented by Studio Pentas and with special appearance by Penang Modern Dance Ensemble (Euphoria), Sasanakala will feature works by Jerry Yacob with Geris Sumayau, Afif Anor with Pentas Tari, Luvenia Kalia with WindRiver Productions. 

This show will be presented in UAB Building- Event Hall for two days, 9 & 10 May 2026 at 8pm. Doors will be open 15 minutes before the show time. 

Pentas Tari Penang will be presenting a piece namely, RENTAK TEROMPAK: Jejak Inang dan Joget. this item presents the meeting of two cultures- Malay and Baba Nyonya through a movement language inspired by the Inang and Joget dance forms. The interaction between male and female dancers reflects harmony and the beauty of cultural exchange that has long been rooted within the Peranakan community. The use of terompah (wooden clogs) is highlighted as a key element, not only creating rhythmic steps and sound, but also symbolizing the footprints of heritage that continue to live on through dance and tradition. 

Geris Sumayau, under the leadership of Jerry Yacob is bringing us Jejak Sunyi: The Jawi Peranakan of Penang. This piece traces the rise and quiet fading of a hybrid identity born from Indian Muslim and Malay heritage. Through movement that begins in layered cultural expression and gradually narrows into uniformity, the work reflects a once-vibrant community shaped by trade, knowledge, and tradition. As individuality dissolves into assimilation, the piece captures a subtle yet profound loss—an erosion of identity that occurs not through conflict, but through silence and time.

In dialogue with the research conducted by Malaysian filmmaker Gogularaajan Rajendran, 'Varushali' is a movement response that interprets, questions, and honors the stories of Malaysian-Indian women on the plantations. While singing folk songs recovered from archives, the artists engaged in a dialogue with their bodies, learning to embody the stories of the women from the past while reflecting on their own. Created in collaboration by Luvenia Kalia, Kausalyaa Sugumarin, and Devamayi Somasundaram, guided by the artistic vision of Luvenia herself.