Addy (second left) and members of Kuseni Tari in action.
SIBU: Stage performances can open doors for young Malay-Melanau people to embrace their rich cultural heritage, said Addy Sa’at, founder of local dance troupe Kuseni Tari.
The 33-year-old said heritage and cultures are important in performing arts in that they exhibit uniqueness of performances.
He said the Malay-Melanau has a rich cultural heritage which many from the younger generation are oblivious of.
“Stage performances require creativity, and every performance has a story to tell,” he elaborated.
Addy said his performers danced on the topic ‘Warisan Asli Khazanah Jiwa’ using songket as its theme at the Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) here last Monday.
“I believe performing arts allows young people to get to know and understand their cultures better. We can open the door of curiosity among our young people,” he reiterated.
Addy said he had added modern elements in the dance to engage youngsters.
“Traditional way alone is not enough to keep the young engaged because the modern world is different from the world years ago. Because of the gap, oft times, people get bored with the performances when they cannot connect with it,” he said.
Performers can learn about their heritage through research and practice on dances.
According to him, Sibu in general has a great advantage in making every stage performance a great success because of its rich heritage.
“Art is abstract. It’s the same thing with the soul. For me, art is my soul, it’s in my blood. Without it, part of me is dead. But there are many challenges I face in terms of improving myself and developing the art which I love,” he said.
Addy has been actively involved in stage performances since primary school, continuing until he entered university. As an undergraduate at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), he was involved with Dewan Budaya USM.
While waiting for his convocation, he worked as a part-time artiste with Seberang Perai Municipal Council (artistic body) for about a year; as part-time civilian dancer in the Malaysian Air Force (artistic body) for about two years; and as an artiste with Produksi Swatari for a few months.
“Although it was a short stint at the Produksi Swatari, it was a privilege as I got to work with and learn from Datuk Suhaimi Mohd Zain (Pak Ngah),” he recalled. He learned discipline, skills, and stage performance from Pak Ngah.
Upon his return to Sibu, he started his own performing arts troupe called Kuseni Tari in 2011 that has won various competitions at divisional and state levels.
Addy hopes that his troupe can be a spring board for the young to soar to greater heights in performing arts.
“I hope many will form their own troupes one day,” he said.