JP\/13\/HELLY<\/p>\n
Performing arts 2004: A flashback<\/p>\n
Helly Minarti, Contributor\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Judging from the frequency, scale and variety of events held
\nthroughout the year, 2004 seemed to be fruitful for Indonesian
\nperforming arts.<\/p>\n
Arts festivals -- starting from the small-scale Monologue
\nFestival up to the large Art Summit Indonesia 2004 -- were a
\nregular feature throughout the year. However, at a closer look it
\nraised concern about some aspects of conceptual thinking and
\npractice that were revealed as the seasons passed by.<\/p>\n
Art Summit Indonesia 2004<\/p>\n
Let's start with the largest. The triennial Art Summit
\nIndonesia international performing arts festival managed to take
\nplace on time, despite familiar funding headaches.<\/p>\n
However, the quality of performances and event management has
\ndeclined steeply, and was something of a disgrace, which raised
\nquestions about curatorial procedure and cultural policy.<\/p>\n
Inviting more than a dozen arts groups from Indonesia and
\nabroad to perform, the range and standard of the works presented
\nwere way below those of previous years.<\/p>\n
Dance at the summit<\/p>\n
In dance, for example, past years have witnessed big names
\nsuch as Sankai Juku (1995), Susanne Linke (1998) and Akram Khan
\n(2001). All subsequently established themselves as progressive
\nfigures of specific traditions in contemporary dance.<\/p>\n
With relatively few misses, the commissioned Indonesian groups
\nwere also of the caliber and stature the festival wished to
\nachieve.<\/p>\n
This year's lineup was in marked contrast to the previous
\nfestival. Most of the international dance artists -- such as the
\nFrench Compagnie Magali et Didier Mulleras and British Urban
\nClassicism -- although presenting some interesting notions on
\ndance, did not really live up to the festival's expectations.<\/p>\n
A couple of groups grabbed the attention -- particularly the
\nFinnish Tomi Kitti dance company and Japan's Kim Itoh + The
\nGlorious Future, but even their stunning performances failed to
\ncast off the shadow caused by poor programming of the festival as
\na whole.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian piece, Elly Luthan's Cut Nya, Perempuan Itu
\n(Cut Nya, That Woman), was badly received by critics.<\/p>\n
A member of the curatorial board expressed his disillusionment
\nat the approval of the Luthan item, as the work had been staged
\nbefore (it was not specially commissioned) and personal bias in
\nthe choice of some nondance numbers was also felt to have tainted
\nthe selection process.<\/p>\n
In addition to the stage works -- dance, music and theater --
\nthe month-long festival this year introduced a new component: a
\nvisual arts exhibition section that drew heavily on the already-
\nlimited budget.<\/p>\n
This caused more headaches for the festival management, partly
\nresulting in very late promotion, which greatly affected the box
\noffice takings (no more scenes of young members of the audience
\nqueuing and fighting for seats at dance performances), problems
\non commissioning procedures and human resource capabilities.<\/p>\n
Even the two-day international seminar, which was an important
\npart of the festival, seemed to be organized amateurishly.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, other smaller festivals took place throughout the
\nyear, partly as a result of the Jakarta Arts Council being
\nreactivated.<\/p>\n
Having finally resolved previous internal conflicts, the
\ncouncil selected new members and is now busily running its annual
\nprogram, which is a good sign.<\/p>\n
The Monologue Festival opened this year, and the Festival of
\nRealist Theater took place toward the year-end, like a breath of
\nfresh air.<\/p>\n
The council also ran a competition for critical writing on the
\nperforming arts as well as a carefully curated dance showcase of
\nyoung choreographers.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Dance Festival<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, this year's Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF), which
\nhas run since 1992 and once achieved success for its creative and
\ninitiative programming, earned mixed reviews.<\/p>\n
They were critical of the programming (probably the worst so
\nfar), but there was a pat on the back for its sponsorship trawl
\n(managing to attract funding from state electricity company PLN,
\nwhich chipped in Rp 100 million only a couple of weeks before the
\nfestival kicked off).<\/p>\n
The spotlight shone on its weak programming though, featuring
\nmostly lesser known local choreographers performing immature
\nworks. Inconsistency was rife.<\/p>\n
\"Among the choreographers, some did have an interesting body
\nof work, but for some reason, the new works they performed in the
\nfestival were not as strong as their previous. What can we say?,\"
\ncommented Nungki Kusumastuti, the IDF director, on an occasion of
\na discussion on dance at Teater Utan Kayu in October.<\/p>\n
Japan's Butoh master Min Tanaka was the only respite, with his
\nmuch-talked-about, 70-minute improvisation. \"But this contrast
\nreally overshadowed the local artists' creations, and that is so
\nsad,\" commented Dewi Ria Utari, a dance journalist.<\/p>\n
The next IDF is scheduled for 2006, and the gap is meant to
\ngive a break for the organizers to reorganize themselves.<\/p>\n
Still on dance, one special occasion needs to be noted. In
\nAugust, the Gumarang Sakti Dance Company restaged Api Dalam Sekam
\n(Fire on the Chaff), a work of the late Gusmiati Suid --
\ncommemorating the third year of her passing.<\/p>\n
The work originally premiered at Art Summit Indonesia 1998,
\nthen prompting controversy over whether the summit should
\ncontinue in the midst of a national crisis.<\/p>\n
Choreographer Sardono and pianist Ananda Sukarlan's
\ncollaboration seemed headed for the abyss, not only because it
\nwas performed just a couple of days after the month-long Art
\nSummit (and the audience was supposedly overloaded by then) but
\nalso it reflected how collaboration between two artists who live
\nfar away from each other (Ananda is now based in Spain) requires
\ngood planning, which was simply not addressed.<\/p>\n
Theater in 2004<\/p>\n
In theater, Teater Kubur's Sirkus Anjing (Dog Circus) and
\nTeater Garasi's Waktu Batu III (Stone Age III) became the
\nhighlight of the Art Summit.<\/p>\n
The subsequent Festival of Realist Theater was intended to lay
\nout a new discourse on the medium.<\/p>\n
Outside the capital, the Solo Dance Festival went from
\nstrength to strength and with this year's Temu Koreografer Wanita
\n(Forum for Female Choreographers) it continued to find a niche in
\ndance, providing another alternative to Jakarta-centered dance
\nevents.<\/p>\n
Information on the one organized in Bandung later in the year,
\nfor some reason, was not well-disseminated outside the province.<\/p>\n
From the point of view of management, the Indonesian Arts
\nMarket in Bali proved to be another waste of resources. Such
\nevents are only relevant for countries with at least solid,
\nworking arts infrastructure.<\/p>\n
The attempt seemed to imitate or be a response to the one
\ninitiated by Singapore in 2001 (for this part of the region), but
\nthen again, Singapore has clearly stronger reasons for holding
\nsuch events.<\/p>\n
Arts education and funding<\/p>\n
Arts education is another matter of concern, due to its
\ndeclining quality (especially in contemporary dance), plainly the
\nresult of mismanagement and almost total ignorance on the part of
\nJakarta's municipal government, which seems incapable of making
\ndecisions over funding.<\/p>\n
This is very clear when it comes to the Jakarta Arts
\nInstitute, which has been outrageously neglected for years.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the controversial production of Robert
\nWilson, La Galigo, which was inspired by a Bugis epic from
\nMakassar, kept touring the world but its overambitious use of
\nstage technology was apparently one of the production problems it
\nencountered.<\/p>\n
So many things have to be done for the Indonesian
\nperforming arts, but one thing is for sure -- public involvement
\nis still minimal.<\/p>\n
A transparent policy and program from the Jakarta Arts
\nCouncil, for example, needs to be adopted soon, as it does for
\nthe arts program funded by the Jakarta administration.<\/p>\n
During the New Order era, desperate young artists commissioned
\nfor a project had virtually to sign away their artistic freedom
\nand integrity.<\/p>\n
What about now? Genuine public scrutiny should be the rule of
\nthe game.<\/p>",
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