Orang Orang Drum Theatre

The drum’s origins can be traced back thousands of years to ancient civilizations across the globe, in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Drums were used in military communications and warfare, religious rituals, as well as dance and music performances. A drum produces simple sounds: “dum dum” by hitting the drumhead and “da da” by hitting the rim. Even with varying tempos, rhythms, and force, it does not suffice to express emotional changes. Orang Orang Drum Theatre takes drumming to another level by combining drums with vocals, movement, theatrical aspects and ethnic musical instruments, as well as traditional folk songs, into their works. The integration of theatrical expression and music’s ability to convey emotions nonverbally turns drummers from percussion accompaniment into performers enacting stories onstage.

Splitting the Chinese character “众” (crowd) into three “人” (people) side by side symbolizes everyone is equal, and it can also be interpreted as “There is always someone that one can learn from among a trio”. Orang Orang Drum Theatre was founded in 2013 by Boyz Chew and Zyee Liew, with the core belief that performing arts is people-oriented, thus striving to break down barriers between performing arts and the audience. The essence of performing arts lies in fostering connections, expressing and eliciting thoughts and feelings at the same time, and cannot exist without involving people. Their ultimate goal is to make performing arts accessible to all, to create resonance between people, and to create shared memories.

Boyz and Zyee realised that performing arts encompass a wide range of forms and styles, despite their started out from 24 Festive Drums instead of receiving formal performing arts education. By keeping their minds open, apart from being proficient in drumming, they explore different possibilities of narratives and expression methods, and collaborate with artists from various fields. Whenever they perform abroad, they sought out local folklores, musical instruments, and folk songs, collecting inspiration to fuel creativity. They are also deeply observant, finding creative themes in the mundane everyday life, then they tell stories, portray characters, and convey ideas by the symbolic use of props, costumes, and gestures.

The productions of Orang Orang Drum Theatre appeal to a broad audience, be it an international stage performance or casually engage with residents of rural villages. The major difference between the two is that in a relatively enclosed space, one can be distraction-free and focus on the performance; on the streets, one needs to cope with all sorts of situations in order to perform. They also organise community percussion workshops using plastic buckets and sticks, leading everyone into a world of non-verbal communication with only beats and rhythms, where they can sway instinctively and relax their bodies and minds.

24 Festive Drums, which is derived from traditional drums, combined with various theatrical elements, led to the creation of “Drum Theatre”, where multiple dimensions of creativity come together with an overarching theme and multi-sensory expression. Performing arts and culture are vital sources of nourishment for our souls, enriching the quality of our lives. Orang Orang Drum Theatre dedicate their hard work to pass on the multi-cultural performing arts of Malaysia.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
文案 Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2024 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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Wong Mee Coffee Stall

At 4.30AM, night owls have not yet fallen asleep, the city has not yet woken up, street lights illuminate dust that has not yet been kicked up by traffic. A MPV drove slowly into the dark alley behind the Public Bank building on Jalan Tun HS Lee and pulled over aside. Uncle Wong Hoong Hon got out of the car and unlocked the fence of “Wong Mee Coffee Stall”. This small plot accommodated his daily necessities. Uncle Wong turned on the lights, washed the cups and plates, boiled the drinking water, and then set up tables and chairs on the roadside. With everything in place, he sat on the stool in front of the stall, looking at the brightening sky and waiting for customers.

The rosy morning glow peeked out shyly from behind the tall buildings, and the alleys began to crowd with people. Around 7.30AM, customers flock in, filling the empty seats. Neighbourhood residents came for their daily drinks, office workers hurriedly left after eating, and travellers from afar took a rest. Long-term close friends with graying hair on their temples gathered here as usual. Everyone smoked, chatted, and spent the morning laughing and joking. When Uncle Wong’s finally made it through the morning rush, he joined them until other customers show up.

The rich coffee and tea has maintained the livelihood of Uncle Wong Hoong Hon and his father Wong Mee for two generations, and the fragrant aroma lingers in their ordinary lives. Wong Mee started a coffee and tea-making business decades ago in a small shack not far from the current location, and his wife and children helped deliver it to customers in nearby shops. The busiest times every day were the tea breaks at 10AM and 3PM. Wong Hoong Hon, who was still young at that time, had to bring a tray laden with drinks and send to a dozen shops. When he grew up, he went out to work, but when his father passed away in 1987, he resigned and returned home to run the coffee stall with his mother.

Despite having relocated about 30 years ago, Wong Mee Coffee Stall has always been tucked in the alley, just a stone’s throw away from the bustling streets. The current location of the stall was provided by a regular customer, who hopes that Uncle Wong Hoong Hon will continue to operate the coffee stall as a gathering place for the neighbourhood community. The signboard handwritten by his father on red paper was damaged by rain, but he kept his father’s name and printed it on an acrylic signboard. At this point, Uncle Wong was running the business alone. Due to lack of manpower, he could not continue to deliver, so customers had to dine in. He also sells some light bites, such as bread, eggs, bao and dimsum. Earlier on, the menu included chee cheong fun and fried noodles homecooked by his wife, but was omitted after MCO.

Traditional coffee and tea making is not about technique, but achieving a balanced flavour between the base coffee or tea and condensed milk. This is what Uncle Wong surmised from decades of practical experience, and he can tell the difference at a glance. Cups of unpretentious fragrant coffee or tea capture the taste buds of customers and became a daily part of life, therefore customers willingly come back to Uncle Wong. He is reluctant to see his old friends break up, and he will continue to work until he is no longer able to.

As Uncle Wong Hoong Hon is getting older and lacks physical strength, his operating hours from 5AM to 8PM were shortened to 12PM. Whenever passing by this alley in the afternoon, the space where the seats were placed is full of cars, and the stall is fenced up tightly. The scene in the morning is like a dream and a fantasy that has never really happened. Want to have a cup of tea in this alley? Please be early tomorrow.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2023 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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Ho Yoke Kee : Traditional Cantonese Candies

Traditional Cantonese candies embody ancient wisdom. They preserve the shape and taste of the original fruit, albeit more exquisite. Before the invention of the refrigerator, slicing fruits and vegetables to boil with sugar and then air-dry could extend their shelf life without causing wastage and make them more delicious. The Cantonese use homophones to give candies auspicious meanings, making them a must-have festive snack during Chinese New Year. Candied coconuts mean three generations living together; candied ginger slices mean longevity; candied green peppers mean attracting wealth; candied carrots mean a house full of gold and jade; candied lotus seeds mean having children; and candied horseshoes mean getting things done successfully. Traditional Cantonese candies are also used in worship as offerings to welcome wealth and blessings, hence also known as fortune candies or five-color candies.

In Petaling Street, ​​Kuala Lumpur, which used to be a dominant Chinese settlement, only Ho Yoke Kee, a long-established street vendor that has been operating for decades, is still manually making and selling traditional Cantonese candies. On one side of the stall is a steamer filled with a hill-like pile of various rice dumplings, whereas on the other side is a wide selection of traditional Cantonese candies. From 6AM to 6PM, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo Yap Nyat Foong and Chong Yoke Yean take turns looking after the stall, while the third-generation successor Ho Chee Keong is in charge of preparations.

Ho Yoke Kee was originally named Ho Dui Kee. The founder, Ho Dui, came to Petaling Street from Dongguan, Guangdong, China in the first half of the 20th century and settled down in Petaling Street, selling lotus roots and other fruits and vegetables to make a living. Facing the unsold lotus roots, fruits and vegetables, he came up with the idea of making them into candies according to the traditional method of his hometown. Later, his son Ho Yoke and his daughter-in-law Yap Nyat Foong inherited this skill and worked together. When the stall had enough manpower, they expanded goods variety and started selling dessert soups and rice dumplings.

Although they have been street vendors in the same location for many years, they were unlicensed and had to evade the city council’s frequent crackdowns. They successfully obtained a license in the 1980s, and the stall was renamed Ho Yoke Kee, still in use today.They mainly sell rice dumplings and only a few types of candies. As Chinese New Year approaches, the variety of candies increased to more than a dozen types. During peak business period, the original stall sells rice dumplings, and they set up another stall selling in Cantonese candies for customers to buy by catties. Preparations must be done one to two months in advance in order to have sufficient supply.

Upon entering the kitchen, all the steps, from preparing the ingredients, such as peeling and splitting the coconut, grating and cutting the coconut meat, are all done by hand. The prepared ingredients need to be blanched to sterilize and remove impurities. Sugar is poured into the heated copper wok to boil into syrup to coat the ingredients. The most difficult variable to control during the cooking process is the heat. The viscosity of the syrup needs to be checked from time to time, as well as stirring constantly to avoid burning. Finally, the sugar-coated ingredients are placed in a bamboo tray and allowed to dry naturally until crystallization forms on the surface, which takes three days to complete.

Ho Chee Keong grew up living in Petaling Street, helping his parents at the stall, and was nicknamed “Rice Dumpling Keong” by the neighbours. After his father passed away, his mother struggled to take care of the family livelihood single-handedly. He made good use of the skills he had learned from childhood to help shoulder the burden of supporting the family, and gradually found an interest in his daily work. His grandfather Ho Dui passed away a few years before he was born, but the art of making Cantonese candies has been passed down from generation to generation. Only in recent years he made some adjustments to reduce sugar, in line with the modern concept of healthy eating.

The process of making rice dumplings and Cantonese-style candies is cumbersome, time-consuming and labor-intensive, but Mr Ho does not feel that life is hard, because the entire family work together and the days are filled with the fragrance of rice dumplings and the sweetness of candies.

有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Amelia Lim
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen

COPYRIGHTS 2024 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD

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