| Maker | Cheroney Pelupessy |
| Duration | 60 min |
| Part of | Season 26-27 |
For the women who don’t appear in history books
In the intimate dance performance Draagkracht (‘Resilience’), we are taken into the lives of women from Indonesia, the Moluccas, and the former Dutch East Indies. Women who carried history, yet never made it into the history books. Their stories come close – unspoken, but made tangible through urban contemporary dance infused with Indonesian and Moluccan cultural influences. Soft yet powerful.
Dance shaped by stories of carrying, survival, and resistance
The audience follows three female narratives. We meet a woman who remains silent and carries without recognition, while the world around her changes. We follow another woman who resists, organizes, and takes risks in a world that denies her existence. And we meet a third woman who creates space through words – writing, teaching, and driving change from within.
Draagkracht reveals what often remains invisible: the weight passed from generation to generation, without language, but never without impact. With this work, Cheroney writes history. And you are invited to witness it up close.
Cheroney Pelupessy is a choreographer, dancer, and maker with Indonesian and Moluccan roots. In her work, she blends contemporary dance with Indonesian and Moluccan movement languages. She explores how stories from the past continue to live in our bodies today. Her first major production, KETURUNAN (2022), is based on her own family history and the shared heritage of Indonesian and Moluccan communities in the Netherlands.
Through her choreography, Cheroney tells stories of origin that are often not widely heard. She collaborates with artists in the Netherlands and abroad, conducts research into dance practices in both countries, and creates performances that resonate with both younger and older audiences. In doing so, she builds a bridge between past and present.
Choreography & artistic direction: Cheroney Pelupessy
Executive producer: Gi Au Yeung
Dramaturgy: Lynn Bartels
Movement coach: Shailesh Bahoran
Music: Tom van Wee
Scenography & lighting design: Loes Schakenbos
Costume design: Kalina Todorova
Booking agency: HuisHeerkens
Produced by: KETURUNAN
Co-produced by: Podium Mozaïek Amsterdam
Korzo Zaal