#SHOWBIZ: YSDAF 2025 Urban Tour begins on Saturday
KUALA LUMPUR: The annual Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival (YSDAF) 2025 will finally be kicking off its Urban Tour with three stops over three months starting Saturday.
In a statement yesterday, its organisers, the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) and Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), said that the beloved Malaysian festival made a bold move to scale up this year geographically by embarking on its first tour to bring the festival directly to communities across Peninsular Malaysia.
"After its Kampung Tour to five states and seven locations from April to May, it makes a full circle back to Klang Valley with 130 free arts activities.
"YSDAF 2025 Urban Tour boasts Festival Highlights from its Programme Partners including FabU, Malaysian Institute of Arts, MyDance Alliance, Orang Orang Drum Theatre, Rhizo, Soundscape Records, Stage ReSET, The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat and Young KL Singers," said the organisers.
Staples at all locations include the Young KL Singers' "Spice, Magic And Mystique" with folk songs from around South East Asia and their upcoming Coldplay and Alanis Morissette concert.
Festival premieres include MyDance Alliance's site-specific "Dancing In Place" which features five new dance works per location as well as Orang Orang Drum Theatre's "Berlumba Seperti Arnab", an exciting reimagining of the Aesop's fable "The Tortoise And The Hare".
Arsyad Azrai's "Dollah" which premiered during the Kampung Tour will be performed in full at the Urban Tour alongside "Ceritaku", a series of monologues drawn from the human library interviews that ran throughout the Kampung Tour.
An eclectic lineup of buskers curated by Stage ReSET will be featured, performing the blues to classical guitar salon music, Celtic music, and electronic music.
For Malaysians who prefer to keep cool in the convenience of a mall, the first stop is KL East Mall with 30 epic shows and workshops by 250 artistes from 11am to 5.30pm.
A 60-strong choir alongside crowd favourites like clowns and even a wushu dance troupe all the way from Johor will also be at the mall.
Workshops for Sabah's Magunatip dance (bamboo pole dance), joget, the Jom Nyanyi Trek Tek Tek kids' singing workshop, and Dance It Out! will only take place at KL East Mall.
In addition, there will be an interactive installation "Teng-Teng: Kembali Ke Akar" displayed like a hopscotch but filled with natural wonders like husks and leaves.
Another rare treat will be WaaiwaiiDrum, who is bringing his street rhythms indoors with his symphony from buckets, pans, and woks.
From the pulse of the city, YSDAF invites festival-goers to chill at PARC on July 5 from 11am to 5pm.
One of Subang Jaya's precious gems, this thriving sustainability-driven hub nestled in a park is the perfect backdrop for its second Urban Tour stop.
Those who missed the Festival Highlights at KL East Mall have another chance to catch it alongside some new acts, including winners of the YSDAF 2025 Pitch Start grant aimed at engaging Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
"Oh! Together-Gather In The Kalendar" by Sumay Cheah of OtherHalf Studio and Sumidik, reimagines the traditional Chinese calendar in an art installation featuring suspended braille-printed paper, poetry, and scent.
On the other hand, "A Synesthetic Symphony: The Art Of Sound And Sight" by Synesthetic Symphony Of Sound And Sight (4S) brings together blind artists and special needs children.
Another highlight is the Handyzone booths. Parents should check an assortment of science, food, technology, and crafting workshops by Fun4Kids, KeyNote Minds, and Some Fun Enterprise.
Adults can try clothes mending and communal weaving with Fashion Revolution, wooden stool making with EPIC, silver jewellery workshop with Nellevate Studio, and even making a luggage tag with Precious Plastic Malaysia.
Other workshops include Lindy Hop, screen printing, picture book-making, Jikey mask-making, and a children's drama workshop.
Taking advantage of the beautiful outdoor setting, Grow Subang will also. be running gardening workshops even for the littlest gardeners.
Festival goers can enjoy performances like the family-friendly Music Play Date by The KLPAC Symphonic Band and Hanyut by WindRiver Productions while lounging on Floating Islands and Nothing But Us – two installation pavilions created by the Malaysian Institute Of Art.
YSDAF 2025 will culminate in the Finale at Elmina Lakeside Mall on Aug 9.
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