| 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, seven dancers breathe life into the untold stories of Indonesian, Moluccan, and Indo women. Get caught up in a physical dance language that conveys what words cannot express about silence, resistance, and resilience.
Women from Indonesia, the Moluccas, and the former Dutch East Indies carried history forward, without history carrying them. They were indispensable in times of war, colonization, and resistance: they persevered, survived, cared for others, built, and passed on their legacy but didn’t receive any statues or honorary titles. In Draagkracht, their stories are finally given a platform, without detours.
These stories are inextricably linked to Cheroney Pelupessi’s own history. The creator of Draagkracht draws on her Moluccan and Indonesian roots in her work and, in this performance as well, seeks a movement language that connects traditional Indonesian and Moluccan forms with contemporary dance.
Come experience how history is being rewritten.
In 2026, Cheroney was nominated for the Gieskes-Strijbis Podium Prize, the Netherlands' most prestigious performing arts award for mid-career artists.
Cheroney Pelupessy is a choreographer and the artistic director of the KETURUNAN Foundation. Her work draws on her Moluccan and Indonesian roots and explores how cultural heritage, bodily memory, and contemporary dance can reinforce one another. She is constantly searching for a movement language that connects traditional Indonesian and Moluccan forms with contemporary dance, and creates work that is personal yet resonates collectively. With KETURUNAN, she creates performances that bring communities together and bring to light stories that have long remained offstage.
Choreography & Artistic Direction: Cheroney Pelupessy
Dancers: Cheroney Pelupessy, Romee van de Meent, Moya Wenno, Noenoni Loasana, Yasmin Diktas, Babette Schouten, Nona Embsen
Intern: Nila van der Male
Dramaturgy: Lynn Bartels
Movement Coaches: Shailesh Bahoran, Ryan Djojokarso
Music: Tom van Wee
Set & Lighting Design: Loes Schakenbos
Costume Design: Kalina Todorova
Technical Support: Simchah Hoed
Photography: Sjoerd Derine
Business Manager & Creative Producer: Gi Au-Yeung
Booking Agency: HuisHeerkens
A production by KETURUNAN
In co-production with Podium Mozaïek Amsterdam
Supported by Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Cultuurfonds, Vfonds and Fonds Podiumkunsten
Korzo Zaal