Dance festival goes on without trademark show<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Too many times, bad management and a shortage of funds have been
\ncited as excuses for poor performance in the local arts scene.
\nBut it is a crying shame when this becomes the case for this
\nyear's Indonesian Dance Festival, IDF, 2002.<\/p>\n
Since its conception in 1992, the festival has been the
\nproving ground for young new talents eager to make it in the
\nperforming arts scene, both locally and internationally. One of
\nthe reasons for this is the international impact of the festival
\nand the opportunity for young dancers and choreographers to
\nshowcase their creations in the event.<\/p>\n
The festival's chairman Sal Murgiyanto said noted dancer and
\nchoreographer Eko Supriyanto -- one of Madonna's background
\ndancers in her Drowned World Tour 2001 -- emerged from IDF, first
\nas a newcomer then as the festival's main performance.<\/p>\n
\"It's such a shame that we are unable to hold a showcase this
\nyear, but there wasn't much time to allow a proper selection of
\nnewcomers and also our limited funding wouldn't allow it,\" Ratna
\nRiantiarno of the Jakarta Arts Council said in a media conference
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
In the past, foreign dancers and choreographers were also
\ngiven the opportunity to collaborate with local artists through a
\nresidency program sponsored by the United Nations Educational
\nScientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Ford
\nFoundation.<\/p>\n
In the 1999 festival, for example, Korean choreographer
\nSeongjoo Joh collaborated with Farida Oetoyo's Kreativitat dance
\ngroup to perform Second Name of that Woman, and China's Wen Hui
\ncollaborated with dancers from the Indonesian School of Arts in
\nSurakarta, Central Java (STSI Surakarta) to perform Dinner with
\n1999.<\/p>\n
\"The interaction with foreign artists enabled local dancers
\nand choreographers to learn and share their experiences,\" Nungki
\nKusumastuti, dancer and lecturer from the Jakarta Institute of
\nArts (IKJ), said.<\/p>\n
This year, however, aside from the missing showcase program,
\nthe organizers also no longer have the support from UNESCO and
\nFord Foundation. In the end, only one foreign resident artist
\nwill collaborate, Malaysia's Joyce Lim with Eksotika
\nKarmawibhangga Indonesia's (EKI) dancer Takako Leen.<\/p>\n
\"And that was through Joyce's own sources,\" IDF 2002's
\nsecretary-general Sukarji Sriman said.<\/p>\n
However, the organizers' effort to arrange this year's
\nfestival -- which will run from Sept. 6 to Sept. 21 -- is
\ncommendable, especially when the last IDF only occurred three
\nyears ago in 1999.<\/p>\n
\"We wanted to make the festival run once in every two years,
\nbut because of the riots and the (Indonesian) Art Summit, it had
\nto be every three years since 1996,\" Sukarji said, adding that
\nthe organizers will try to make the festival a biannual event
\nagain.<\/p>\n
Also, this year's IDF will include a one-day seminar on
\neducational dance at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki
\n(TIM) on Sept. 21, 2002. It will discuss problems faced by public
\nschool teachers in teaching dancing as an extra-curricular
\nactivity as well as part of the school's curriculum.<\/p>\n
Former director-general of culture, dancer, and University of
\nIndonesia lecturer, Edi Sedyawati, will give a keynote speech at
\nthe seminar.<\/p>\n
The festival this year will open with a full production of the
\nUnited States' Janis Brenner and Dancers at Gedung Kesenian
\nJakarta (GKJ). GKJ will also host performances by Joyce Lim,
\nTaiwan's Kwok Hiu-Wah and Cho Ting-Chu, and Japan's Osamu Jareo
\nand Misako Terada.<\/p>\n
In the following weeks, solo performances of various noted
\nchoreographers including Janis Brenner, Indonesia's Sardono W.
\nKusumo, Joyce Lim, Cho Ting-Chu, Osamu Jareo, and Misako Terada,
\ncan be seen at Teater Utan Kayu, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The IKJ Dance Company will close the festival with creations
\nof Sukarji Sriman, Jefriandi Usman, and Kristiono Soewardjo.<\/p>\n
This year the festival, the sixth in the running, is organized
\nby IKJ together with the Jakarta Arts Council, Teater Utan Kayu,
\nand GKJ.<\/p>\n
Tickets for the performances at GKJ cost between Rp 20,000 and
\nRp 50,000, while invitations for performances at Teater Utan Kayu
\ncan be obtained from Sept. 1 at Teater Utan Kayu, Jl. Utan Kayu
\nNo. 68 H, Rawamangun, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
For more information on ticket reservations call GKJ on
\n3808283, Teater Utan Kayu on 8573388. For information on the
\nseminar call IKJ on 3159105.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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