Boi G. Sakti finds dancing a man's world<\/p>\n
By Hera Diani<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): I could not help asking the Billy Elliot
\nquestion.<\/p>\n
Why does choreographer Boi G. Sakti like to dance?<\/p>\n
While 11-year-old Billy said in the movie that he did not know
\nwhy, he just does, Boi calmly replied, "We just can't deny the
\nblood that runs through our veins."<\/p>\n
He meant the inheritance from his mother, noted choreographer
\nGusmiati Suid.<\/p>\n
It has brought him and the Gumarang Sakti Dance Company
\nestablished by Gusmiati to major stages all over the world to
\nperform tradition-inspired contemporary dances created by Boi.<\/p>\n
But it was not until he was 17 that Boi, now 35, put his
\ninterest fully into dancing.<\/p>\n
"I always thought that a man's place was not on stage. So,
\neven though dancers practiced in our house every day, I didn't
\ncare," he said recently at his studio in Depok.<\/p>\n
"I did dance at that time and won (awards at) several
\nfestivals. But it was break dancing."<\/p>\n
Instead, Boi fell into drugs and juvenile crime back in
\nBatusangkar, West Sumatra, where he was born and grew up. A self-
\nprofessed troublemaker, Boi said he was put in jail several times
\nin the city located some 50 kilometers north of the province's
\ncapital Padang.<\/p>\n
"I made it to the high school graduation simply because the
\nschool didn't want me there anymore," said the husband of
\nHartati, also a dancer and choreographer.<\/p>\n
In 1986, not knowing where to go after high school, he
\nenrolled in the Jakarta Arts Institute and took a dancing course.<\/p>\n
"My mother, who was a guest professor there, encouraged me to
\nenroll. And so I did. I just wanted to get out of the city."<\/p>\n
The turning point came six months later when he placed in the
\ntop five in a dance festival. It kindled his enthusiasm and he
\nstarted to create more dances.<\/p>\n
"But even then, I was still embarrassed to perform on stage. I
\npreferred to be a choreographer."<\/p>\n
Boi's signature style is fast and powerful dance moves. His
\ninspiration mostly comes from the traditional dance and art of
\nWest Sumatra.<\/p>\n
"But actually my inspiration comes from anything. It's like
\nbeing in a deep dark hole. I turn to the direction where there is
\nlight," said the father of a two-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n
The themes of his dances range from women's issues to the
\ncurrent political situation, or simply old memories.<\/p>\n
With more than 100 compositions of his creation, Boi and the
\ncompany have traveled to many countries in Asia and Europe, as
\nwell as to the United States, spending the better part of the
\nlast five years abroad. Boi also worked for the Singapore Dance
\nTheater, TheatreWork Singapore and Ballet Philippines.<\/p>\n
According to Boi, the company's most memorable gig was in New
\nYork in 1991 when they won the Bessie Award, the highest prize
\nfor a stage performance act in the United States.<\/p>\n
"It was a truly joyous moment because we faced a lot of
\nobstacles and challenges before we went to New York," he said.<\/p>\n
The obstacles, he added, were the classic and enduring
\ndifficulties of the arts in Indonesia: a lack of financial and
\nmoral support.<\/p>\n
"It's very unfortunate that the people and government have yet
\nto become aware of the arts. It is actually the arts that boost
\nthis country's reputation in the international scene," he
\nasserted.<\/p>\n
Stage performances can also be a good business, he said, if
\nthey are managed well.<\/p>\n
Boi said he could get up to US$10,000 for a dance composition;
\nin Singapore, a promoter is willing to pay S$35,000 (Rp 175
\nmillion) for one show.<\/p>\n
"But that didn't come in a snap of the fingers. We needed good
\nmanagers who could penetrate the network in foreign countries and
\nnegotiate."<\/p>\n
Boi said the situation had changed now that he was not just
\ndoing choreography, but also serves as lighting designer and art
\nand stage director.<\/p>\n
"The worse thing is that sometimes we get underpaid just
\nbecause we come from Indonesia, like $2,000 for example. But
\nyoung artists take it because if we convert it to rupiah, it is a
\nhuge amount of money," he said.<\/p>\n
Our artists have to be confident, Boi added, because they have
\ngreat potential and their skills are equal with those of their
\nforeign peers, and maybe even richer and more creative due to
\nIndonesia's long artistic tradition.<\/p>\n
The country's artists, he said, are also less spoiled than
\nforeign artists because of the many obstacles they face in their
\ncareers.<\/p>\n
"In some countries the artists are too formal. They have
\ncertain work hours and working contracts. They don't want to do
\nanything outside that. We shouldn't be like that as artists. We
\nhave to give everything for the sake of art."<\/p>\n
Boi still has one obsession, to take his company on a tour
\nfrom one country to another.<\/p>\n
For the time being, the Gumarang Sakti Dance Company will
\nperform at the Art Summit Indonesia 2001 on Tuesday and Wednesday
\nat Graha Bakti Budaya in the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center in
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
After that, he plans to return to his hometown for a month to
\ndo research.<\/p>\n
Back to the Billy Elliot question.<\/p>\n
"Now, I can answer why I like dancing. Because dance is able
\nto express our world, our history and the complexity of life. My
\nlife is for dancing, and I'll stick with it as long as I can."<\/p>",
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