KETURUNAN: Draagkracht

Lees in het Nederlands

They carried history, without history carrying them. They received no statues or honorary titles. Women from Indonesia, the Moluccas, and the former Dutch East Indies who persevered, survived, and passed on their legacy. Women whose stories have been deliberately excluded from the historical narrative for generations. Who were indispensable in times of war, colonization, and resistance. Who cared for others, fought, built—and yet remained unnamed. Who bore what was imposed upon them, what they chose to bear, and what they had no choice but to bear.

Seven dancers pay tribute to these women on stage. Through a fluid, physical dance language that draws on contemporary dance and traditional Indonesian movement forms. As an acknowledgment. The weight of generations becomes palpable in the body—gentle, layered, and powerful. In bodies that know what words cannot say. You don’t need to know the history to recognize it.

Choreographer Cheroney Pelupessy has previously presented dance performances (Mama’ku, 2025 and Keturunan, 2023) at Podium Hoge Woerd. In her work, she delves into (female) family histories and identity.