Festival brings dance to stage<\/p>\n
Kartika Bagus C., Contributor, Surakarta, Central Java<\/p>\n
Observing dance development is always interesting in this
\ncountry, home to a great diversity of cultures and ethnic groups,
\nas well as talented artists and a rich variety of dances.<\/p>\n
This interesting development was brought to stage when the
\nCentral Java town of Surakarta hosted a solo dance festival from
\nApril 22 through April 24 at the Surakarta-based Indonesia Arts
\nInstitute (STSI) grand theater this year.<\/p>\n
For three consecutive nights, 11 dancers -- Lena Guslina,
\nDjarot B. Darsono, Besar Widodo, Peni Puspita, Agus Mardiyanto, I
\nNyoman Sura, Maria Bernadeth, Iin Ainar, Ali Sukri, Elly D.
\nLuthan and Fajar Satriadi -- went all out to present their
\nchoreography, to the delight of the expectant audience.<\/p>\n
Lena Guslina, for instance, presented Kepak Seribu Sayap
\n(Flapping of a Thousand Wings), which glued the audience to their
\nseats, enchanting visitors with the choreography's beautiful
\nmovements under shimmering, silvery light and the use of a shawl
\nto express the movement of flapping wings.<\/p>\n
Born in Bandung, West Java, Lena is well-known as an
\ninnovative choreographer who enlivens her creations by exploring
\nthe aesthetic and philosophical elements of her bodily movements
\nto the utmost.<\/p>\n
Elly D. Luthan's Wisik (Whisper) contemplated a woman's
\nconscience in dealing with problems in her life. Through the
\nchoreography, heavily influenced by Javanese culture, she
\nemphasized that a woman was not just an object but played an
\nimportant role within society.<\/p>\n
Another piece, titled Bulan Mati (Dead Moon), by STSI
\nDenpasar dance lecturer I Nyoman Sura, was no less interesting.
\nClad in a long, white gown, the artist dwelled on the
\nphilosophical meaning of one's search for identity, which he
\nlikened to the dim light of the moon.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by New Age music in the background, Sura's
\ncreation was distinctive, though not as beautiful as traditional
\ndance from Yogyakarta or Surakarta.<\/p>\n
Dance observer and lecturer at STSI Surakarta Wahyu Prabowo
\nsaid the works presented at the festival showed the existence of
\nthe choreographer-cum-dancer in the local dance arena. He said
\nthat to become a choreographer as well as a dancer, artists had
\nto have extraordinary energy to perform their creations.<\/p>\n
"Some dancers can even dominate a large stage while, at the
\nsame time, interact with stage lights, showing their total
\ndedication toward creative expression," Wahyu said in praise.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, he said, most of the participating dancers were
\nstill strongly influenced by Western contemporary art, with only
\na handful skilled at creating local contemporary pieces.<\/p>\n
However, he hoped the three-day festival -- the second such --
\ncould serve as a new opportunity for Indonesian dancers and
\nchoreographers to present their work and inspire them to come up
\nwith new, fresh ideas.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/festival-brings-dance-to-stage-1447893297",
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