Dancestors is a Connections Through Culture 2024-2025 project, by Akademi South Asian Dance UK and Gerimis Art
Dancestors combined ancient and contemporary dance forms to create new works reflecting the experiences of marginalised communities, supported by workshops and performances held in Malaysia. In July 2025, Akademi’s Artistic Director Suba and dance artist Jesal Patel, together with Gerimis Arts and a team of filmmakers, collaborated with members of Malaysia’s Orang Asli Semai community, specifically the Luheiw Renaweij group founded by Ronnie Bahari, to share culture, stories, and movement practices. This collaborative journey focused on co‑creating workshops and performances, building towards a film of the work-in-progress.
Explore the partners' reflections and insights from the project
By Suba Subramaniam (Akademi)
When we travelled to Malaysia for Dancestors, we knew we wanted to create something that celebrated exchange and collaboration — but we couldn’t have anticipated how deeply it would connect us all.
Joined by Jesal Patel, a Kathak dance artist from the UK, we set out to work with a group of young Indigenous dancers from the Semai tribe – Luheiw Renaweij dance group.
The aim was simple: to share traditions, ideas, and creativity, and to make a dance work together that placed their voices at the centre.
What began as a cultural exchange became a week of discovery, joy, and transformation.
Arriving and Beginning
The project began not in a studio but in the village — sitting together, talking, laughing, and sharing food. We wanted the collaboration to start with their environment and their rhythms.
The young people showed us where they live, how they dance, and how movement connects to the world around them. Their dances were deeply rooted in the landscape — the earth beneath their feet, the trees that surrounded us, and the community that held them.
When Jesal introduced Kathak, with its intricate rhythms and storytelling gestures, the young dancers were immediately curious. They began trying out the footwork, echoing the hand gestures, and blending them with their own movements. It was a dance dialogue that crossed languages.
Creating Together
Each day brought a new layer of discovery. Some sessions took place outdoors, surrounded by forest and birdsong. Others unfolded in simple open spaces where everyone contributed ideas.
We explored rhythm and storytelling — Jesal demonstrating Kathak’s rhythmic cycles, while the young dancers responded with sharing their dance works. Soon, the boundaries between styles started to blur wonderfully.
The collaboration grew naturally: a shared choreography began to take shape, built from small moments — a gesture here, a rhythm there — that everyone owned.
