I don’t
know about you but I’m marking my calendar to go to as many of the shows and
activities lined up in the 15th Johor Arts Festival, across the
month of September.
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| The Warrior, the image of the 15th Johor Arts Fest |
When I
received my copy of the festival flyer, the first thing that strikes me is the
familiar style in the arty rendition of the Warrior, the image of the 15th
JohorAF.
The bold
strokes, bright colours and favourite shade of blue, are distinguishing
hallmarks of the work by multiple award-winning Johor artist and designer,
Mulo.
Just as
the JohorAF is presenting a cast of talents from across the nation in a
month-long programme, I’m glad that talents like Mulo and other local artists, are
also being highlighted in the fest.
I especially
liked how the festival flyer has a single-page calendar for me to read about
the events, at a glance!
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| Erwin Shah Ismail in a one-man act, Kulit On The Go |
My eyes
search for the details of where all the events will be happening and I discover
the official venue of the 15th JohorAF is The Puteri Pacific JB with
the bulk of the shows presented in the hotel’s Permata Ballroom.
mmm… I
must say that the shows in this year’s programme are wide and varied and there
is really something for everyone in the free
and ticketed events, organized
in the theme, Stories, shared
through music, dance, theatre, poetry, comedy, visual arts, photography, fashion
and film, and even food!
There are
two Photography Exhibitions: Border/Less
and Selat Johor: A Visual Collection,
open daily from 10am to 7pm at the lobby of The Puteri Pacific Johor Baru, throughout
the fest and entrance is Free-Of-Charge.
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| A section of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra |
This show, Kulit On The Go, features Erwin Shah Ismail, a one-man act performed in English, Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien with the ukulele as music accompaniment.
Fans of
the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and classical music can catch their performance
of, From Mozart to Totoro, at 8pm on Monday, Sept 3, at the Persada Johor
International Convention Centre.
Percussion
enthusiasts can join the Drum Circle,
a Free-Of-Charge drumming session with the Johor Baru Happy and Joyous Club at
10am on Friday, Sept 7, at Sedap
Corner JB, Jalan Abdul Samad.
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| Ajith Baskaran and the Suvarna dancers will present Much Ado About Dance |
Much Ado About Dance or
M.A.A.D. in short, will showcase the beautiful moves of the Bharatanatyam dance
that speaks through movement, melody, mime and words.
Over the
years, I have learnt to appreciate the beauty of this traditional performing
art through enjoying many Bharatanatyam performances by Ajith and his Suvarna
dancers in their academy’s annual shows.
I’m
familiar with how Ajith is meticulous about letting the audience have a better
appreciation of this art-form and will typically arrange for a pre-show lecture
conducted in English for the benefit of the uninitiated!
To find
out more about this talented lawyer-turned-dancer, you can read Ajith’s story
which is among the Johor personalities I featured in the Portraits section of
my book, My Johor Stories: True Tales,
Real People, Rich Heritage!
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| Tarakucha! will feature Sean Ghazi and Ida Mariana |
My dad, who
was once dubbed the Dancing King, told me about those ‘happy days’ where they
used to make their own music and create their own entertainment.
So I’m definitely
not missing out on, Tarakucha! a
musical throwback experience featuring vocals by Sean Ghazi and Ida Mariana.
I’ve
carefully penciled in Sunday, Sept 9
and will be at the Permata Ballroom before 8pm, because I cannot miss this show
which is touted as, “The Terrer-Menerrer Big Band Baru with a Malay Twist”.
Wow!
These shows cover just the first few days of the 15th JohorAF and
there’s so much more…
 |
| WVC Malaysian Jazz Ensemble will feature Janet Lee and Eddin Khoo |
I will step
back in time with them to enjoy unique arrangements of pre-independent Malayan
songs along with interesting anecdotes by historian, poet and Pusaka founder,
Eddin Khoo. This show is at 8pm in the Permata Ballroom.
Yay! I’m
glad the 15th JohorAF is presenting Fusion Wayang Kulit in the arts fest again!
This exciting
event is a paid Workshop and Exhibition that includes a free wayang kulit performance of Peperangan Bintang, the Malay name for Star Wars.
I’ve had
the privilege of meeting the creators of this iconic futuristic Star Wars
adventures in a traditional wayang kulit performance, so don’t miss it on Friday, Sept 14, at 3pm in the Permata
Ballroom.
If food
is not yet your forte, then join my friend, Tony Boey of Johor Kaki fame, and
Datin Kalsom Taib, co-writer of Johor
Palate: Tanjung Puteri Recipes and other guests at Sedap Corner for After Hours 2.0: Food.
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| A scene from Peperangan Bintang or Star Wars, in Fusion Wayang Kulit |
The 15th
JohorAF welcomes stand-up comedian, Malaysia’s Queen of Comedy, the bold and
outrageous Joanne Kam Poh Poh.
Get ready
to laugh-out-loud with her and enjoy her new 90-minute one-woman comedy special
– Joanne Kam: La La Lian nationwide tour
– at 8pm on Tuesday, Sept 18, in the
Permata Ballroom.
Listen Differently – this
is what the Vision string quartet from Berlin invites you to do as they break
barriers by fusing classical compositions with popular music!
Their
performance described as, “…amazingly vivacious, vivid and electrifying…” is
something I cannot miss so I will be there at 8pm on Friday, Sept 21, in the Permata Ballroom, to experience why these
young musicians are recognized as one of the finest young string quartets of
its generation.
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| Malaysian Queen of Comedy presents her comedy special - Joanne Kam: La La Lian nationwide tour |
Join
movie buffs to revisit the stories that prompted us to think and feel what it
truly means to be Malaysian.
Yasmin I Lup Chew happens
over two days at Sedap Corner JB. [Lup
Chew is local slang that expresses the phrase, love you!]
On Friday, Sept 21, enjoy the screening of
her film, Sepet (2004) and on Saturday, Sept 22, her film, Gubra
(2006) will be screened. This will be followed by the launch event with
Yasmin’s sister, Datin Orked, for the book entitled, Yasmin I Lup Chew.
Festival
Director, Suzie Yap, explained that filming had started on the last film that
Yasmin Ahmad was working on before she passed away. As no other director felt
up to the mark in continuing to make this film, they decided to compile the
script into a book.
 |
| Vision String Quartet invites you to Listen Differently |
The Runway will host six fabulous designers including two who
achieved international fame this year. The show will feature exclusive
collections by Tom Abang Saufi, Fashion Club by Limkokwing and Lagenda from
Malaysia.
Guest designers include Thailand’s Sorn and India’s Ritesh
Kumar, and the first runway collection by Wawal Ali, winner of Perspective: The
Project, will premier in this show.
The
JohorAF is organized by the Johor Society of the Performing Arts (JSPA) which has
a mission to encourage, develop, support, advance, create awareness and instill
an appreciation for the arts in Johor through cool and relevant projects across
a spectrum of artistic disciplines and genres.
Besides
organizing the Johor Arts Festival, the JSPA has a calendar of Festivals for
Jazz, Film, Indigenous, Classical Music, Piano, Writers & Readers, and
other exciting stand-alone events.
The shows
in the 15th JohorAF that range from visual to performing arts,
exhibitions and workshops, to talks and forums, are all brought to you almost to your doorstep so don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy your own pick from this
month-long fest.
Just pick
up a copy of the festival flyer or go online to check out the full programme of
shows and events, and get your tickets at www.jspa.org.my
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/johorperformingarts, Tel Hotline: 019 – 7139900.
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