Restu Imansari pursues Indonesian world stage<\/p>\n
Carla Bianpoen
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
When the 14th century Bugis epic poem I La Galigo comes to the
\nworld stage on March 12, 39-year-old Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum
\nwill have achieved another milestone on the way to making her
\nvision come true.<\/p>\n
\"I dream of a contemporary world stage where Indonesian
\nplayers have a major role,\" she once said. Those were no empty
\nwords, and she has systematically worked toward their
\nfulfillment.<\/p>\n
Basically artistic by nature, Restu enrolled in the dance
\ndepartment of the Jakarta Art Institute where she studied from
\n1984 to 1986 as a special student. Feeling the urge to acquire a
\nmore comprehensive knowledge of traditional dances, she studied
\nCirebon masked dance in her spare time.<\/p>\n
She also studied with the Tirtasari Group in Peliaten in Ubud,
\nBali. Eager to perfect her skills, she delved into meditation and
\nshamanism in Korea as part of preparing for her role in one of
\nKang Man-hong's theater pieces.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, she was asked to lecture in Taiwan on Indonesian
\ntraditional movements for females, and share her knowledge of how
\nthe traditional should progress toward the contemporary.<\/p>\n
As she grew into a professional dancer, she performed many
\ntimes locally, then progressed to international tours, working
\nwith, among other people, theater wizard Robert Wilson, Kang Man-
\nhong of Korean dance and theater, and Chen Shi-Zheng, the
\nNew-York-based Chinese director known for his innovative
\nexpressionistic performance style.<\/p>\n
She has participated in Sulistyo Tirtokusumo's Panji Sepuh
\nwhich was based on Goenawan Mohamad's lyrics and in Sardono W.
\nKusumo's Mahabuta and Ramayanaku, performed in Robert Wilson's
\nThe Days Before, in Kang's Gora Goda, and Chen's Monte Verdi.<\/p>\n
A strong believer of inter-disciplinary collaboration, she
\nforged networks with musicians, choreographers, literati,
\nphotographers, painters, and performers, and worked with such
\npeople as I Wayan Sadra, Harry Roesli, Endo Suanda, Sardono,
\nSulistyo Tirtokusumo, Goenawan Mohamad, I Kompyang Raka and Guruh
\nSoekarnoputra.<\/p>\n
Restu's multifarious talents in fact emerged early on. She
\nheaded Guruh's Swara Mahardhika for ten consecutive years,
\nmanaged the Jakarta C-Line Contemporary Art Gallery, which became
\nthe first alternative contemporary art gallery in Jakarta and was
\nthe first to introduce the idea of a gallery-cafe to Jakarta. As
\nwell, she was involved in the Jakarta fine arts Biennial in 1995.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the idea of introducing the little known cultures
\nof the Indonesian archipelago to the world began to take shape.
\nShe initiated and founded, together with six other people, the
\nBali Purnati Center for the Arts, an institution that focuses on
\nCentral and East Indonesia. She now serves as creative director.<\/p>\n
Her involvement in the Heritage Society (Jaringan Pelestari
\nPusaka Indonesia) as a member, again underlines Restu's
\ncommitment to the preservation and revival of the country's art
\nand culture.<\/p>\n
Given the long path of cultural involvement, it is hardly
\nsurprising that Restu Imansari has been able to become a major
\n'pusher' for taking I La Galigo to the world stage. \"Don't think
\nit came all of a sudden,\" she warns, describing the three years
\nof preparation as \"hard work\", with barely any time for a social
\nlife.<\/p>\n
But Galigo is worth it, she adds. \"It's a fantastic piece of
\nancient literature that I think the world should know about. What
\nbetter way than introducing it on a world-wide stage.<\/p>\n
\"It's also been a great chance to know the Bugis people, to
\nsense their great heritage and to work with them to make this all
\nhappen.\"<\/p>\n
Most of all, however, Restu loves working with professionals
\nlike Robert Wilson and Rhoda Grauer, as well as Elisabetta di
\nMambro and Franco Laera from the Change Performing Arts, which is
\nbased in Milan. \"I enjoy working with people who are professional
\nin every single aspect\", she says.<\/p>\n
\"For the Galigo project, Purnati Center for the Arts and the
\nChange Performing Arts, a Milan-based independent production
\ncompany, are responsible for the production. Within the team
\neveryone has a stipulated task, and we can count on each other to
\naccomplish (these tasks) in a timely manner,\" she says.<\/p>\n
\"The discipline, and professionalism is something we need to
\nlearn and abide by,\" says Restu.<\/p>\n
Therefore, she has insisted on a fully Indonesian group of
\nperformers, and Indonesians to assist every single foreign
\nexpert, something very unusual for Wilson, who is used to working
\nwith an international crew.<\/p>\n
With such an experience, the Indonesian La Galigo crew is
\nhoping to gain new visions to share with others in their villages
\nor provinces. In this way a base is built for the growth of
\nIndonesian performing arts.<\/p>\n
Restu comes from a family where the father is Javanese and the
\nmother Minangkabau. As the two blood streams come together, Restu
\nsays, she was taught to respect nature, and people. \"In our
\nfamily, it does not matter what ethnicity you are or which
\nreligious group you belong to. What matters is human nature,\"
\ncontends Restu.<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, Restu is also a graduate of the Landscape
\nArchitecture and Environmental Technology School of Trisakti
\nUniversity. Gardening is her hobby, painting a way of meditation,
\nbut the ultimate happiness she finds in dancing. When I dance,
\nthe world stops to exist, she says.<\/p>\n
Will she tour the world with the Galigo troupe? Restu just
\nsmiles one of her mysterious smiles.<\/p>",
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