Best Of Malaysia’s Performing Arts And Culture To Captivate Audience At Jubilee Park

Some of Malaysia’s most prominent artistes will take centre stage at Jubilee Park on 9th January 2022 to perform a variety of cultural performances and music presentations, in conjunction with the Malaysia Truly Asia showcase.

The showcase will feature a remarkable host of cultural performances by troupes from Istana Budaya and the National Department for Culture and Arts, HANDS Percussion Malaysia, Sutra Dance Theatre, with musical shows by Malaysian artistes Syafinaz and Datuk Zainal Abidin.  Miss Universe Malaysia 2020 Francisa Luhong James will make a special appearance at the event.

Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, Founder of the Sutra Foundation and internationally known choreographer/dancer will lead the Sutra Dance Theatre performance. “Expo 2020 Dubai is a place where the cultural diversity of the world is celebrated. These many different cultures are brought to the shores of the UAE for the global community to experience, enjoy, and learn. We are particularly proud to be a part of this celebration,” said Ramli who received India’s Padma Shri award in 2018 for his contribution to the Odissi dance form.

Bernard Goh, Artistic Director and Founder of HANDS Percussion Malaysia added “Presenting our Malaysian-made traditional and contemporary percussion performance on a global stage means that we get to share the beauty and uniqueness of our music and culture to an international audience.” Their performance includes an original musical composition including instruments such as the timbale set, big red drum, Chinese drums (shigu), bonang, gendang, jidor, and the Chinese cymbal.

The dance performances will see unique plethora of Malaysian cultures from Odissi, an Indian classical dance style to traditional routines of Malay, Chinese, and Bornean customs. “Our troupe has been rehearsing daily for over a month now, to ensure we deliver on a truly remarkable and amazing spectacle which vividly reflects Malaysia’s culture for the international audience at Expo 2020 Dubai,” said Mohd Ferdaus Hassan, Istana Budaya Production Department Assistant Director. 

Malaysia’s music legend Datuk Zainal Abidin will also be belting his top hits, Damai IV, Manis, and Hijau. Speaking on the occasion, he said: “I am proud for this opportunity to perform modern Malaysian music to the world. This is also an exciting time for me personally as it will be the 30th anniversary since my song Hijau made its debut.”

The Malaysia Truly Asia showcase represents the melting pot of rich cultures that exists harmoniously in the nation. Datuk Ramli quipped, “You will see Malay and Chinese dancers performing an Indian classical dance side-by-side, which reflects how art unifies people of different races and backgrounds.”

The performance is in conjunction with the Malaysia Day which is the flagship event of the Malaysia Pavilion at the World Expo, spotlighting the nation’s achievements and progress across key sectors including economic, social, cultural, science and technology, as the honour day accorded by Expo 2020 Dubai to participating countries. This occasion also marks the 100-day milestone of Malaysia’s participation at this third largest event in the world.

The public are invited to watch the show from 8.00pm at Jubilee Park in the Mobility District in Expo 2020 but do come early to grab the best seats.