Drum up JB!

‘24 Festive Drums’ is a heritage performance that originated in Johor Bahru and was created by two legendary Malaysians; Mr Tan Chai Puan, a cultural activist, poet, and businessman; and the late Mr Tan Hooi Song (passed away in August 2008), a renowned musician. They shared the same vision and, with missionary zeal, worked together to create the 24 Festive Drums in 1988. 

The 24 drums in this performance represent the cycle of 24 festivals in the lunar calendar of the Chinese agriculture community, with each drum representing one festival. A full team completes the cycle of 24 festivals in the lunar calendar that for thousands of years have guided the farmers in their agriculture activities in China. In 2009, 24 Festive Drums was recognised as a Malaysian National Intangible Cultural Heritage, and has since been embraced across 5 continents, with over 400 troupes around the world.

The theme of “LaguKu”, performed by Orang Orang Drum Theatre, explores the multi-faceted Malaysian identity through music. This performance blends vocal expression and physical movement with diverse music instruments from different cultures, such as the aboriginal people of Malaysia (kuling tangan), Malay (Gendang, Kompang), Chinese (Shigu), Indian (dhol) and world music instrument (shaker, wood xylophone, etc). The Malaysian identity is neither singular nor reductive. Rather, similar to this performance, it is layered and interwoven with an inexplicable combination of shared values, cultures, and experiences.

“The Memories” is a piece presented by Orang Orang Drum Theatre and JB Drums. The piece has been to the France International Folklore Dance and Music Festival, touring for 6 weeks and participating in 8 art festivals in 2017.

Besides the Drum Up JB performance, there are some sub events such as DUJB Photography Exhibition, 24 Solar Terms Installation, Museum of 24 Festive Drum Guided Tour and Post Performance Sharing. Do follow and contact our facebook page at Drum Up JB to get the latest information.

This program is supported by ArtsFAS, Yayasan Hasanah, MOF, R&F Development, Think City, Iskandar Regional Development Authority, Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru, and Malaysia Digital Districts, Sun Bus Tech Sdn Bhd, Wiwynn Malaysia

Check out our audience reviews at Tripadvisor

Notice

The shows will start sharp at 2pm & 8pm. Please arrange your arrival time earlier or latecomers will only be admitted after the intermission. 

Promotion

Buy 3 and get 15% off, key in promo code: TRIPLEX
** For Category RM105, RM125 & RM145 only

For group bookings, please contact 018-373 9388.

---

THE PERFORMERS

JB Drums
JB Drums was founded to inherit and promote 24 Festive Drums, a Malaysian Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the early days of its establishment, JB Drums actively invited Foon Yew High School alumni and drummers from other backgrounds to continue their interest in drumming. At present, there are 10 professional drumming coaches and assistants from JB Drums, who are coaching more than 20 drum teams of different ages.

Over the years, JB Drums has also gone abroad and has visited Singapore, China (including Macau, Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Chaozhou, Shantou, Xiamen, Tianjin, etc.), and also Africa (Kingdom of Eswatini & Lesotho) for performance and coaching. In 2017, JB Drums was invited by Orang Orang Drum Theatre to tour France jointly for six weeks and visit eight international folk art festivals.

Orang Orang Drum Theatre
Since its establishment in 2013, OODT’s core members Chew Soon Heng (Boyz), Leow Sze Yee (Zyee), and Damien Leow have been exploring the forms of music, dance, and theatre, seeking a new way of expression in the genre of drum theatre. They aim to revitalise traditional music and stories by incorporating and layering fresh elements of performance, striking a balance between preservation and innovation. The word ‘orang’ means people and OODT’s mission is to bring the arts to the people—to this end, they have set out to transform a Chinese traditional art form into a unique, multicultural performing art form in Malaysia.

The award-winning drum troupe has participated in international music festivals in Europe, such as France, Hungary, and Serbia, and as well as in Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and China.

Guest Artistes with multi-art form
Meanwhile, there are guest artistes such as tenor choral Yong Jia Lin, string musician Gideon Alu8khan Chen and Angel Art & Dance Academy.

---

Show Notes / Reminder

Welcome to Drum up JB!! Here are some notes for our guests: 
👉🏼 Permaisuri Zarith Sophia Opera House located at the R&F Princess Cove, here are the nearby parkings:
🅿 Parking Recommendation 
1. R&F Marina Car Park
2. R&F Mall Car Park
 
** Please park your car at B1, near B02/C03A area. After that, please take the elevator or lift to G floor, look for KK Mart. Opera House is just opposite KK mart. Watch out for traffic when crossing the road.

👉🏼 Our show starts at 2pm & 8pm sharp, please arrive earlier as latecomers will only be admitted after the intermission to avoid disturbing the performance and other audiences' viewing experience.
👉🏼 Doors will open approximately 15 minutes before the show starts.
👉🏼 To accelerate scanning and entry, please save your e-ticket as a PDF or screenshot it to enable enlarging the QR code on your ticket and brightening your screen during scanning. You do not need to print out the ticket.
👉🏼 Show is numbered seating. 
👉🏼 Food and drinks are NOT ALLOWED in the theatre. 
👉🏼 Photography and videography are NOT ALLOWED on the first half of the performance.
👉🏼 E-programme book QR codes are available at the lobby.
👉🏼 A post-show discussion will be held after the performance.
Check out our sub-events at Drum Up JB:

Thank you and see you soon!