Folkwang's world premiere closes Art Summit<\/p>\n
By Linda Hoemar Abidin<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): What better way to close the Third Art Summit
\nIndonesia 2001 International Festival on Contemporary Performing
\nArts than to present a world premiere filled with powerful
\nimagery, subtle humor and soulful dancing by a young, ingenious
\nchoreographer?<\/p>\n
On Sept. 26 and Sept. 27, a Jakarta audience will have the
\nspecial privilege to see Folkwang Tanzstudio's dancers, under the
\ndirection of Pina Bausch and Henrietta Horn, perform the world
\npremiere of Horn's Emerging\/Auftaucher at the Graha Bhakti Budaya
\nTaman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta, which will be preceded
\nby Horn's own enchanting performance of Solo.<\/p>\n
Horn's Solo begins with lone violin music in darkness. As the
\nstage brightens, an image of a statuesque woman seated at a table
\nappears.<\/p>\n
Then, in silence, she attempts to stand up, but stops halfway,
\nas if pulled by gravity to sit down. Resting her chin on the palm
\nof her hand, she ruminates before slumping on the table.<\/p>\n
This intimate dialogue with the chair, the table and the
\nmusic, builds on a repetitive theme with stylized elaborations.<\/p>\n
The distilled, quiet, yet powerful images presented on stage
\nstick in the memory, etching an image of a lonesome woman who
\nattempts to break free, but keeps being pulled back to her past.<\/p>\n
Horn's efficient use of movement and precision in timing, all
\nwithin a narrow space between the chair and the table, conveys a
\nsense of limited boundaries. It portrays a woman without a friend
\nin the world, bar the chair, the table and the music. As the 25-
\nminute-long solo performance progresses each of these three
\nelements come to life as if becoming her life partner.<\/p>\n
Supported by a minimalist stage setting and the meticulous use
\nof lighting, Horn skillfully plays with music, silence and
\nmovement to create an atmosphere that evokes collective emotional
\nassociations.<\/p>\n
Horn admits that her Solo draws inspiration from everyday
\nemotional tension, filtered and reduced to the essential. Thus,
\npurity of movement perhaps best describes Henrietta Horn's
\nchoreographic style.<\/p>\n
Small rhythmic sounds accompany the opening image of Horn's
\nEmerging\/Auftaucher, which draws vivid inspiration from one of
\nToulouse Lautrec's celebrated paintings.<\/p>\n
The audience first hears a continuous rhythm. Then, the
\npowerful image of 10 dancers and chairs appears on stage. Equal
\nnumbers of male and female dancers, dressed in gray and black,
\nbegin dancing with gray colored chairs illustrating the routine
\nof a tightly knit community.<\/p>\n
As the rhythm, held and shaken by each dancer's hand, builds,
\nso does the tension. Angular movements become more pronounced and
\nmore aggressive. Dotted with pauses, the tension grows with the
\nsilence.<\/p>\n
A simple idea of shaking handheld musical instruments,
\nslapping them on thighs, tapping chairs produces such a dramatic
\nimpact, evocative of deep inner emotions such as passion,
\njealousy, joy and anger.<\/p>\n
Horn's genius lies in her ability to evoke strong emotional
\nassociations without being physical. For example, in a fighting
\nscene between two males, tension rises as the two stare at each
\nother while the rest of the group encourage a fight through
\nshouts and tapping chairs.<\/p>\n
Horn's Solo and Emerging\/Auftaucher, present intensive plays
\nof emotion with continuous shifts between meditative and
\nexplosive states.<\/p>\n
After their Jakarta performances the Folkwang Tanzstudio --
\nfounded in 1928 by Kurt Joos, paved the way for the development
\nof dance in Germany -- will perform in Surakarta before
\ncontinuing the tour to Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
In Surakarta, the Goethe Institute, which invited the company
\nto participate in the Art Summit, has organized for Horn to
\nconduct a dance workshop. Indonesian dancers will have the
\nopportunity to learn from a choreographer who believes that
\nmovement should be as pure as possible so as to transcend the
\nemotions that lie behind each move.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/folkwangs-world-premiere-closes-art-summit-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}