JP\/18\/DANCE<\/p>\n
RI dance troupe to take part in Greek Art Festival<\/p>\n
Susi Andrini
\nContributor\/Denpasar<\/p>\n
As many as 27 dancers and gamelan players grouped in the Makara
\nDhwaja dance company are leaving for Athens to take part in the
\n23rd Petras International Festival being held at the Petropolis-
\nAthens from July 11 through July 13.<\/p>\n
Led by I Made Bandem, professor of arts and former rector of
\nthe Yogyakarta and Denpasar Arts Institutes (ISI), the troupe
\nwould be the first ever Indonesian cultural delegation to
\nparticipate in this world-scale cultural and arts event involving
\nartists from around the globe.<\/p>\n
\"We want to improve the image of Indonesia in the
\ninternational world through the presentation of our rich culture
\nand arts,\" explained Ni Luh Nesa Swasthi Bandem, wife of I Made
\nBandem and choreographer of the dance troupe along with I Nyoman
\nCerita.<\/p>\n
Thanks to Linda Agum Gumelar, wife of former minister of
\ntransportation Agum Gumelar, who has built up close relationships
\nwith the Greek government, the Indonesian dance group has been
\ninvited to the prestigious art event Petras International
\nFestival.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian delegation will perform twice at the 4,000 seat
\ncapacity Petras Theater amphitheater.<\/p>\n
The group includes 27 dancers and gamelan players performing
\ndances and traditional music from across Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We will bring traditional musical instruments such as gender,
\nreyong, seruling (flute) and terbang, a traditional music
\ninstrument from Sulawesi,\" explained Bandem.<\/p>\n
Established in Singapadu village, Gianyar in l973, Makara
\nDhwaja has been growing as a significant learning center for
\ntraditional Balinese dance and gamelan music, particularly for
\nlocal villagers at Singapadu, known as Bali's most important
\ncultural and arts center.<\/p>\n
The establishment of the learning center and dance troupe was
\nthe couple's expression of thanks to the village, which is, in
\nBalinese traditional system, called Ngayah.<\/p>\n
Returning from studying and teaching at the University of
\nCalifornia, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Westlegland University in
\nConnecticut near New York, the Bandem's decided to dedicate their
\nlives to promoting Balinese traditional dance and music.<\/p>\n
\"It would be a good opportunity for us to present so many
\nkinds of arts and dances to the international audience,\"
\nexclaimed Bandem.<\/p>\n
During the festival, Indonesian participants will perform a
\nnumber of traditional Indonesian dances including Gadung Kasturi,
\nSatya Brasta and Saraswati from Bali, Cendrawasih and Logohu from
\nPapua, and the Pakarena dance from South Sulawesi,<\/p>\n
During a recent rehearsal, Bandem said that the Gadung Kasturi
\ndance illustrates the sweetness and fragrance of the Gadung
\nKasturi flower performed elegantly by five dancers. It is
\nintended as a welcome dance, choreographed especially by Swasthi
\nBandem, while the accompanying music is arranged by I Ketut
\nGarwa.<\/p>\n
The Satya Bhrasta will be performed by six male dancers
\ndepicting a dance inspired by the Bharatayuda war scene taken
\nfrom the famous Mahabharata epic. The dance portrays a scene in
\nwhich Gatot Kaca, son of Bima of the five Pandawa brothers, is
\nkilled by Karna.<\/p>\n
The dance is choreographed by I Nyoman Cerita and the music is
\narranged by I Nyoman Pasek.<\/p>\n
South Sulawesi's Pakarena is a traditional dance of the
\nBuginese ethnic group from the Gowa Kingdom, South Sulawesi, and
\nis performed by four dancers. It tells of the bravery of the
\nseafaring Buginese people.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's eastern-most province of Papua is well-known for
\nits natural resources as well as its diverse forms of flora and
\nfauna.<\/p>\n
Cendrawasih is the Indonesian name for the beautiful bird of
\nparadise, and is the fauna emblem for the province of Papua.
\nChoreographed by Swasthi Bandem and I Nyoman Windha (music
\ncomposer), the dance tells the story of a couple of Cendrawasih
\nbirds.<\/p>\n
A legend says that the beautiful Cendrawasih was once an ugly,
\nblack-feathered bird. The birds usually nested in dark caves.<\/p>\n
One day, a bird hunter entered the Papuan forest, ignoring the
\nblack birds on their nests. The hunter was not interested in
\nhunting the bird thinking that the bird's meat would not tasty
\nbecause it looked so ugly and frightening.<\/p>\n
Feeling humiliated, the male bird persuaded the god of the
\nforest to change its physical appearance. \"You have been unfair
\nto us, god. You have given us bad and ugly feathers,\" protested
\nthe male bird.<\/p>\n
The bird's wife urged her husband to accept their fate saying
\ntheir lives were safe and peaceful.<\/p>\n
The god of the forest would only grant the male bird its wish
\nif it succeeded in flying across the Indonesian archipelago to
\nsee the beauty of the country.<\/p>\n
Upon its return, the god of the forest transforms the ugly
\nblack bird into one of the most beautiful and colorful flying
\ncreatures on earth. However, life is full of consequences.
\nBecause of its beauty the Cendrawasih is now one of the most
\nhunted birds in the forest, and is now endangered.<\/p>\n
\"This is just one of the illustrations of the philosophical
\nidea behind the dance creation. We can draw a lesson from the
\nlife of Cendrawasih. It took a year to finish the dance
\nchoreography,\" said Swasthi.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp18dance-1447899208",
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