INDONESIAN dancer and choreographer Jecko Siompo has a bold theory about hip-hop: The genre, which became popular in New York City in the 1970s, actually originated in Indonesia.

"I find the roots and history of hip-hop to be very similar to those of traditional dances in West Papua. I believe that hip-hop was born in this region," Siompo, 36, told my paper.

He has his reasons for suggesting that the two cultures may have crossed paths in ancient times. Though based in the teeming urban landscape of Jakarta, Siompo was born in the forests of West Papua and grew up surrounded by traditional jungle dance.

It's unsurprising, then, that his professional creations blur the line between folklore and pop culture.

Siompo's latest work, We Came From The East, will debut in Singapore as part of the da:ns fest. The hour-long piece is a collaboration between his dance company, JeckoSDANCE, and the Esplanade, among other cultural institutions.

Fusing primal and urban moves, it features Siompo's trademark genre- bending "animal pop" movements. "It was animals that influenced and inspired traditional Indonesian dance," he explained when asked about how he came up with the moves.

He added with a chuckle: "The 'pop' part comes from the hip-hop side of things."

If he sounds a tad eccentric, it's because he hasn't taken the most conventional route to get to where he is today.

At age 18, Siompo moved from the rural countryside of West Papua to Jakarta, intending to study music.

He ended up enrolling in the dance programme at the Jakarta Arts Institute as he could not read music.

Since then, he has travelled extensively, acting as guest choreographer at the Bates Dance Festival in Maine, and studying hip-hop in New York, among other accomplishments.

Today, his goal is simple: To keep dance traditions alive through his works.

"Tradition is the basis of everything in this world," Siompo insisted. "I hope people will always remember that."