AIDA REDZA
SHAKTI OMBAK SEMANGAT
'SEEDING THE PENJAGA'
WindRiver Productions
CHOREOGRAPHERÂ Â CONTEMPORARY PERFORMERÂ Â PERFORMANCE MAKER
ABOUT AIDA
in flesh
Aida Redza trained in ballet, modern dance and traditional Malay dance from a young age. After obtaining a Certificate in Creative Arts from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, she proceeded to dance professionally with the People’s Association Dance Company in Singapore under the artistic directorship of Lim Fei Shen. In 1994 she graduated with a BFA from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, USA. She spent her final semester performing with the John Gamble and Jan Van Dyke Dance Company. She completed graduate studies at Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, the Netherlands. After returning to Malaysia, Aida became the founding member of staff of the dance programme at Akademi Seni Kebangsaan (National Arts Academy) and worked in projects with Istana Budaya, the Ministry of National Culture and Arts, the Actor’s Studio, Kuala Lumpur, and Five Arts Centre. She was also a founding member of Shakti Dances.
Aida has performed as a dancer and worked as a choreographer and teacher, to critical acclaim, in many countries: Australia, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Thailand and Singapore. In Denmark, she has had longstanding collaborations with Copenhagen International Theatre at KIT Summer Festivals and performed at the Hamlet Festival at Kronborg Castle presented by Theaterworks, Singapore. Aida has also been interested in Southeast Asian performing arts over a period of more than two decades. The origins of her intensive exploration of traditional dance and theatre disciplines, including Noh, Thai and Balinese mask forms and martial arts disciplines lie in her involvement with the Theaterworks Flying Circus project – Southeast Asian Laboratory – in 1996 to 1998.
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Aida’s repertoire of works and performances includes numerous collaborative choreographies for multidimensional dance and theatre performances at festivals around the region. She has worked closely with acclaimed directors Krishen Jit, Joe Hasham and Ong Keng Sen, among others. In Penang, she is Artistic Principal of Studio Pentas, Founder of WindRiver Productions and a member of Ombak-Ombak ARTStudio. Her core collaborators
have included Janet Pillai and Tan Sooi Beng. Major recent productions as a performer, director and choreographer include BhumiMata (2023), Angin Ombulan (2022), Ssegar Angin (2022), Ibuki Hati (2021), Semangat Restu Padi (2020), Wandering Padi (2019), Reclaim (2019), Entranced : A Mystical Gathering (2018), Entranced : An Evening with a Ghost (2017), The Italian Restaurant (2017) Moved By Padi (2016), the Island Trilogy – Cross Waves and Moving Jetties (2015), Bridges and Kaki Lima (2013) and River Meets Light (2011) – and Wayang
Koh Maak (2015). In 2016, Aida was invited by Shizouka Performing Arts Center (SPAC) as a Director to develop a seed project in the Workshop for International Collaboration that was presented at the Tokyo Festival Asia Performing Arts Forum (APAF). The opportunity inspired her to establish TradeWinds Arts Exchange in 2017 to foster arts exchanges between Penang and Japan. In 2018, Aida conducted a Workshop Performance - Call and Response: The Spaces Between, an exchange process between Noh singers and Main Teri ensemble, followed by the staging of Entranced : A Mystical Gathering under the invitation of Naohiko Umewaka during the Symposium of Ritual, Trance and Ghost at Shizouka University of Arts and Culture. Aida with support from the Penang State Government and Hunza Bhd founded Penang Modern Dance Ensemble (Euphoria) in 2014 as a vehicle for training young dancers.
Aida has continued to evolve as an artist. She has a strong, compelling and passionate on-stage presence. Her energy and emotion exude an almost primal presence that captivates audiences. She has an incredible and rarely seen physicality and athleticism in dance that seem to mirror her commitment to encountering audiences in democratic spaces to raise awareness and advocate for the causes she believes in.
THE PENJAGA
Existence
As a Malay woman choreographer and dancer living in Malaysia Aida Redza has faced tremendous obstacles both open and unspoken,
to her practice of contemporary dance. Her works challenge female stereotyping and subservience in a patriarchal society. With compelling energy, emotion and a primal presence she dances her frustration with a physicality and athleticism rarely seen among Malaysian women. Utilizing her extensive knowledge of Asian philosophy and mythology she creates work that is female-centric and favors encounters with the audience in democratic spaces and locations. Through a commitment to tradition and reinvention, her ensemble works demonstrate tightly-bound tradition and deconstruction, intertwined with new dance motifs to create dynamic live performances. Her works are known for their site-specificity, drawing inspiration from direct contact with the natural environment which leads her to work collaboratively with mixed-media artists and interdisciplinary performers. She is the Artistic Producer of The River Art Project and presented River Meets Light with Ombak-Ombak ArtStudio at GTF 2011. Moved By Padi was the latest site work presented at Georgetown Festival 2016. She initiated TradeWinds Arts Exchange Project in 2017 to renew and revitalize cross-cultural relationships through performing arts exchanges between Penang and Japan.
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Aside from her creative activity Aida is also concerned with human rights, safety and wellness of a community and their environment, especially among the youth, special needs, women / mothers and children, and the marginalized community. She is busy advocating dance in Penang as an action to touch, effect and stir change and that is made accessible to all. Aida Redza was named the Kakiseni 15th Boh Cameronian Arts Award GameChanger for 2018. In December 2018, she founded Studio Pentas with hope to reach out, bridge the gap between art and the everyday, and to promote inclusion through performance and expression.
TO
NURTUREÂ Â HEALÂ TRANSFORM
In Spirit withÂ
PADI&RIVER&WIND
Through my works, I take on the role of the Penjaga / Guardian, with a mission to initiate creative process that nurtures, heal and transform by bringing my works outdoor to highlight the stories and concerns about the everyday people and environment. I prefer to work collaboratively with mixed-media artists, and include people from different backgrounds in developing projects that expresses the everyday and the world we live in. Chances are you’ve heard of some of my recent and favorite projects, such as Moved By Padi or The River Art Project and TradeWinds Arts Exchange. Each day I strive to produce unforgettable performances that are accessible to all.. Learn more about my journey as the caretaker while i continue to aspire and inspire others through my creations.
SEEDING THE JAGA-JAGA'S
Inspiring YOUth as STREET Warriors & Guardians
BRIDGES AND KAKILIMA
Penglipur Lara - The Storyteller
Bridges and KakiLima is a dance performance in a moving trail, where the performers walks the audiences through the streets of Georgetown. The audiences experience a unique tour of the historic part of town as the performers co-create and revive an artistic youthful play of Georgetown stories - past and present, storytelling it from their perspective as guardians of our heritage.
CROSSWAVES & MOVING JETTIES
Pendekar - The Warrior
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"Cross waves is about crossing from site to site, from passing cross roads, from open space to closed space, crossing between people and movement that crosses over. And about those who are caught between the crosses."
The performers takes the audiences to cross over from island to mainland on ferry, through the Butterworth Jetty and street in a delightful journey of dance, play and memory.
Transforming the dead end industrial harbor and concrete jetty into a playground and moving esplanade, as a metaphor between life departure and arrival.
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WAYANG KOH MAAK
Pengubat - The Healer
Wayang Koh Maak is a contemporary interpretation about Kampung Siam in a wayang dance street performance that is uniquely Penang made in consultation with Thai Artists from Thailand and Ruam Thai Persatuan Siam Malaysia. The intention of this work is to recognize the contribution of the Thai community to the cultural heritage of Penang, especially at a time when they are fighting and protesting against the demolition of their 200-year old village in Pulau Tikus.
CONTACT AIDA REDZA
Artistic Principal of Studio Pentas
Founder of WindRiver Productions
Artistic Producer of TradeWinds Arts Exchange Project
Artistic Producer of Moved by Padi
Artistic Producer of River Art Project
President, Euphoria Penang Modern Dance Ensemble
Artist Collective Member of Ombak-Ombak ArtStudio
Administrator of PEARL, Penang Arts Link
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1B-25-2, Surin Condo, Tanjung Bungah 11200
016 4905878
