Seni Making a Difference stage public showcase of theatre, dance and visual art

KAKISENI Junior staged a community showcase by 160 students graduating from the Seni Making A Difference (SeniMAD) initiative at Dewan Terbuka PPR Seri Semarak, Setapak, today. Alumni of SeniMAD and SeniKidZ programmes are were also present at the showcase, including those who joined the online cycle during the pandemic. 

It began as a plea in 2015 that each child be given access to the arts: for exploration, for curiosity and for the experience. With approval from the Ministry of Education Malaysia, SeniMAD engaged with a group of four Malaysian art practitioners to lead each community in theatre, dance and visual art.

There were: 

• Anniecia Thomas with Buku Jalanan Chow Kit (visual art) 
• ASK Dance Company with PPR Seri Semarak (dance) 
• Main Theatre with Komuniti Damansara Damai (theatre) 
• Zaifeeda Zainul Abidin with Komuniti Sentul Fasa 8/9 (visual art) 

Enabled by Yayasan Sime Darby, four communities were invited to join SeniMAD; Buku Jalanan Chow Kit, PPR Seri Semarak, Komuniti Damansara Damai, Komuniti Sentul Fasa 8/9. The sessions ran weekly, from April to June simultaneously in all communities. Each community leader worked closely with the lead practitioners to ensure the learning environment wasready. 

“This year we have a diverse group of children learning three different art forms! What is more interesting is that they also get to meet children from the other communities. 

“This is only the beginning of an exciting journey for these children, who are mostly experiencing this for the first time. These are Kakiseni Junior ambassadors – future champions of the arts, no matter what in whatever career they pursue. We’re proud of them,” said Low Ngai Yuen, President of Kakiseni. 

Kakiseni Junior and Yayasan Sime Darby believe that early creative childhood education plays a huge role in youth development, which is why a fixed amount of RM5 processing fee is applicable to the user for every transaction on www.kakisenijunior.com to support the SeniMAD outreach programme. 

In his speech during the launch of Kakiseni Junior, group managing firector of Sime Darby Property Berhad and representative of Yayasan Sime Darby Datuk Azmir Merican said that “The illustrious Malaysian arts scene was greatly affected by the pandemic and Yayasan Sime Darby’s contribution is timely to revive our creative arts industry. We must work together to sustain the invaluable arts scene and to ensure that our young talents have a platform to explore and thrive.” – The Vibes, June 19, 2022