Shafirul Azmi bin Suhaimi

Shafirul Azmi bin Suhaimi Jawi شافيرول عزمي سوهايمي (born May 4, 1980) is a Malaysian citizen born in Sabah. He is a contemporary dance choreographer. The basis of his dance moves was greatly influenced by the martial arts called Silat, a gesture of Sabah and Sarawak traditions that made his choreography very unique and interesting. In addition, he has often adopted site-specific, post-modern ideologies in his work.

Biography
He is a native of Kampung Contoh Kuala Petagas, Putatan, Sabah. The village is located near the town's airport and is near downstream of the Petagas River, which joint to the sea. It is also located between the Gorongon Beach and Vor Hill. He is the second of four siblings due to the marriage of Suhaimi Magi and Kamsia Mohd Noor. His father, Suhaimi Magi is from the Kampung Angan-Angan, Chinta Mata at Tenom district, while his mother, Kamsia Binti Mohd Noor comes from Kampung Buang Sayang, Papar. Both his parents are Sabah Bumiputeras because they were born in Sabah before the  North Borneo Self-government Day.

Education
In 1987, he attended Menteng 1 Jakarta Primary School in Indonesia. It once housed the statue of former US President Barack Obama. In 1988 he went to Sabah, Malaysia to enter grades 2 through 6 at Tanjung Aru Primary School. In 1993-1997 he attended the Sabah High School. After graduated from the Malaysian Certificate of Education, in 1997 he travelled to Peninsular Malaysia to gain a deeper knowledge in the arts and culture. Finally with determination to succeed, in 2010 he earned a Bachelor of Dance with Honours (Choreography) at the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA). In 2021, he continued his studies in National University of Malaysia and in 2023, he graduated on Master of Social Science Political Science. His thesis research is about "Political Elite: Cooperation & Competition in Forming Government BN's Post-Hegemonic in Sabah". now he is continuing his studies to the doctorate level at Universiti Putra Malaysia in the field of nationalism and civilization specializing in politics and government.

Published works
He has been involved in many contemporary performances including Gerak Angin (Sutra Dance Theatre), Jamming The Box (Nyoba Kan and The Actors Studio), Curfew (Five Arts Center), Spring In Kuala Lumpur (Japan Foundation), AWAS (ASWARA) and The Light Show (Annexe Central Market). His musical work includes Ronggeng Rokiah, ANTARA, P. Ramlee, Kasih Menanti and Tun Abdul Razak at Istana Budaya, and TUNKU at KLPac. His own choreographic works are IBN, Let's Swim, Kabur, Tabung Uji, Niaki, Pipit, Hari+Hari, Escape, Typhoon, Transporter, Shakti, Tapak 4 and Cik Mah. He is always looking for unusual ideas for traditional-based art works, and favours productions with a collaborative element. He also did a research on the dance of the Malay Cocos in Tawau. He also did some commercial work for television programme.

Awards
National Arts Award 2006 young talent category (dance choreography)

Jasabah organization
Throughout his experience in acquiring knowledge in Peninsular Malaysia, he felt that as a Sabah Bumiputera who was concerned about the situation of Sabahans in Peninsular Malaysia, there are citizens that are very poor and in-need of help. With the initiative of several Sabahans, he has agreed to set up a non-profit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to defend the welfare of Sabahans in Peninsular Malaysia. This organization is called Jasabah. He is the founder and chairman of this organization along with other Sabahans who serve as volunteers.

Surau Attaqwa
Involvement in community development is equally remarkable, as he serves as the secretary of the Attaqwa Friday Mosque, appointed from 2023 to 2026 through the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (JAWI), granted by His Majesty the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong. In carrying out his dedicated duties to enhance high integrity values, he concurrently undertake an approach to comprehend the management methods of handling deceased individuals, holding the position of Treasurer for the Attaqwa Burial Fund.