ART IN THE CITY

Immerse in the fascinating beauty of Malaysia’s multiculturalism at Malaysia Inside Out – A programme consisting of centuries-old traditional dance performances, a Chinese orchestra performance, a series of classical Indian dances ranging from pure classical to Kavadi, stick dance and Bhangra, a Mak Yong dance performance accompanied by other artistic Malay art forms, a Potehi glove puppet show titled Kisah Pulau Pinang II – The Japanese Occupation and Merdeka, as well as a loud, fiery and electrifying Dhol performance! Indulge and feast your senses on these traditional cultural performances of Malaysia’s three main ethnic origins.

For more than two decades, Wak Long Music Group & Art Centre has been preserving the musical culture and heritage of the Malay ethnic group by being the only traditional Malay performing group in Penang. With over 20 professionally-trained musicians and dancers, Wak Long Music Group & Art Centre will be keeping festival-goers entertained with centuries-old traditional dance performances of zapin, inang, and joget!

Chong Yee Chinese Music Academy was established to enhance the appreciation of classical Chinese music as well as bringing enthusiasts with a common interest together. Led by Lai Ah Lai who is a distinguished conductor in Malaysia, the orchestra, made up of professional orchestral musicians and enthusiastic amateurs, is set to bring you an extensive repertoire that includes not only traditional Chinese music but also contemporary works.

Interwoven into Malaysia Inside Out includes Spices of India by BhaavaNarthana Naatyalaya, a classical Indian dance academy. The founder Mrs Pavaani Thannimalai, together with her students, will be performing a series of classical Indian dances ranging from pure classical to Kavadi, stick dance and Bhangra.

BaiZam Generation is a family of five from Kelantan, with each have at least three abilities in the talent category of singing, dancing, acting or playing musical instruments. The stars of the group are three children aged four, six and nine years old. BaiZam Generation will be performing a Mak Yong dance performance as well as other timeless artistic Malay art forms such as wayang kulit (traditional Malay shadow puppetry), muzik paluan and tarian tari inai.

When a group of multi-ethnic young people work together to revitalize the endangered Potehi glove puppet theatre in Penang, the product is a puppetry show titled Kisah Pulau Pinang II – The Japanese Occupation and Merdeka. It is presented by Ombak Potehi, a group who performs not only conventional stories, but also new stories based on oral histories collected from the people of Penang.

Fierce. Loud. Proud. With over a decade of experience in Dhol entertainment, Dhol Alliance, an elite Dhol collective based in Kuala Lumpur, will get you grooving to the beats of 5 Rivers, an electrifying and exhilarating showpiece combining the thunderous sounds of the Dhol drums on thumping Bhangra beats.

A Garden Gig consists of jazz music, a cappella choir, a charismatic trio band and a music
performance presenting the sounds of nature. If you’re one that’s into music, be sure not to
miss Garden Gig at George Town Festival 2019’s Art in the City where there’ll be a collection
of performances by Penang Jazz Society, the multi-award-winning UiTM Chamber Choir,
92PLAY5 and AXN’s Asia’s Got Talent 2015’s semi-finalist, Sada Borneo!

It’s said that listening to jazz can relieve stress, stimulate the mind, and boost creativity – three more reasons to get yourself down to the Garden Gig ! Penang Jazz Society will bring you an evening of light and relaxing tunes featuring a selection of jazz standards and pop music. The group is Penang’s very own jazz society dedicated to promoting jazz through performances, education and community engagement

A charismatic trio consisting of Fish, Bowie and Haul, 92PLAY5 (朝九玩五 925) is set to blow your mind with their easy listening, acoustic vibey pops with a touch of groove here and there.

Formed in 2015 by Dr Masashi Kishimoto from Japan, the multi-award-winning Universiti Teknologi MARA’s Chamber Choir had appeared in various prestigious events in several countries, namely Indonesia, Japan, Czech Republic, Austria, Greece and Italy. With diverse musical styles, ranging from pop to classical as well as Malaysian traditional songs or folklore, UiTM Chamber Choir will be performing a cappella songs for an evening of mellifluous sounds amidst lush greenery.

Sada Borneo, which means ‘the sound of Borneo’, banded together to create a new sound in the local music industry to unveil the beauty of Malaysia. The group gained popularity after becoming the only Malaysian group to have made it to the semi-final in AXN’s Asia’s Got Talent show in 2015, which was aired in 20 countries across Asia. Sada Borneo will be presenting Song of Borneo, where the group will be adapting the sounds of nature into their music with a medley of instruments consisting of sape, bungkau, kompang, kulintangan, keyboard and more.

A programme specifically brought in for little ones and families, don’t miss Tiny Touts at George Town Festival 2019. Specially curated for children aged five and above, come share Mr John, a contemporary clown’s joy and enjoy music amidst toys brought by Ting A Tong from Thailand, who will recreate a joyful song and story for children trough sound, music and movement. Get your children involved in children’s musical theatre and drawing, or join the magical fairy garden workshop where its main objective is to promote and educate the significance of reusing and conserving earth’s resources. Free for all to join, see you soon!

Here’s something for the little GTF-ers and their families! Light is an interactive comedy show specially curated for children aged five years old and above by Mr John, acontemporary clown whose dream is to share the light in him to everyone that he meets.The show is best enjoyed as a family!

By gathering toys, choosing the roles and playing the characters and musical instruments, Music around the Toys, brought to you by Ting A Tong from Thailand, features three musicians who recreate a joyful song and story for the children through sound, music and movement.

Be entertained by Colour Your Soul dance performance brought to you by Colour Me Art Atelier and Pexstret Dance Theatre (P.D.T). P.D.T organises innovative fun-filled outdoor programmes which involve children’s musical theatre and drawing. This enlightening kid’s theatre emphasises the importance of family love in nurturing a child. At the end of the performance, parents and their children will draw together at a colouring party!

Puppet Stage is a collective of puppet shows from different cultures and ethnic origins. This George Town Festival, catch Puppet Stage – a showcase of Teochew puppet show, a Malaysian shadow puppetry – wayang kulit, and a performance by Flying Balloons Puppet, a puppet theatre from Bantul, Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Puppet Stage performances to include iron-rod puppetry shows revolving around The Love of the Celestial Fox and Journey to the West: Peril in Gossamer Cave by the Teochew Puppet and Opera House, The Visit of Wak Long & Pak Dogol to an Arts Festival as well as Ksatria Kelawar by Fusion Wayang Kulit and for the first time ever in Penang, Pongo Abelii by Flying Balloons Puppet.

House 72/74 is an old Chinese shophouse at Sia Boey which is left abandoned with its memories, forgotten. In Meet Us in the Middle, performing groups from Penang and Kuala Lumpur are set to revive the spirit of the house, freeing the memories from a state of limbo struggling between life and death. The performing artists from Kuala Lumpur will present If There’s a Template for Death while the performing artists from Penang will present The Living Chronicles. On the second day, the two groups will meet up to explore the state of limbo by giving it a new and creative breath of existence.

1. So… How Was Heaven?
Choreographer / Main Performer: Soonufat Supramaniam
Performer: Fadzira Zainul Ariffin

2. Your Father’s House Ah?
Choreographer / Performer: Luvenia Kalia & Theyvapaalan S Jayaratnam
*Based on a conversation with Kok See Kim & Koe Gaik Kee; whose true stories have contributed to
this piece.

3. My Pearl!
Choreographer / Performer: Jet Leang Hui Jie
Director / Performer: Izzardzafli Padzil
Soundscape Artist: Dr. Kamal Sabran

1. I Am Living in Your Salvation
2. What’s the Funniest Way to Die?
3. Shift. Body

Choreographer / Performer: Lee Choy Wan, Lee Kien Faye & Leow Hui Min
Music and Sound Design: Jimmy Chong
Scenographer: Jackey Chan

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Penang is a food and arts haven, and Party Lorong is great for both. A curated marketplace for sustainable products with all the usual quirks and charm, there’ll be no shortage of live music, cakes, cookies, exquisite jewellery, exclusive apparels, paintings, books, cards, gifts and more, from local and international art enthusiasts, for all to enjoy. Party Lorong is an ethical way to shop – avoid the high street, come and relax with all the art lovers and share a few smiles and hugs.

Following two successful series – Rojak Penang 1 in 2012 and Rojak Penang 2 in 2013 – Rojak Penang 3 is a compilation of video documentation, capturing the diversity and cross-cultural exchanges that take place every day in Penang in the most unexpected ways.

The Rojak Penang series is directed by Tan Yeow Wooi, a Penang-based photographer, visual artist and architect specialising in heritage conservation. Trained at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, Tan is the director of Tan Yeow Wooi Culture & Heritage Research Studio and the author of Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi: The History and Architecture, Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee’s Shen Zhi Jia Shu and Hai Ji Zhan and Penang Shophouses: A Handbook of Features and Materials.

Directed by A’shua Imran together with choreographer Lim Pei Ern, Antithesis is a collective performance investigating the invisible laws of unwanted publicity – taking photos without someone’s permission. The dance performance explores the theme of ‘working class society’, which makes up half of the world’s population. A team of photographers are instructed to document the audiences who are taking photos of the artists, which aims to disrupt the photos taken by them without the permission of the artists. The deflection of the act of trying to take photos of the performance becomes a game between the artists and the audiences. The contradiction here lies in the intention of the artists to both attract and deflect the attention of the viewers.