Aging Ni Ketut Cenik gives her body and soul to dance

Aging Ni Ketut Cenik gives her body and soul to dance

By Gotot Prakoso

JAKARTA (JP): She is all of 78 years, but Ni Ketut Cenik can still show the moves which built her reputation.

She elongates her body, her hands curving into the agem, the fundamental moves of Balinese dance. Her eyes race up and down and from left to right, her every move copied by the three girls behind her. Ni Cenik stops and moves among the girls, correcting a gesture here, a facial twitch there, in the quest for perfection.

Age and illness have taken their toll on Ni Cenik, who is no longer as svelte as in her heyday, but the opportunity to dance always puts the spring back in her step.

The images are all part of Telegram, the latest film from actor-director Slamet Rahardjo, but they are Ni Cenik's daily existence at her residence in Banjar Pakuwadan, Sukawati, Gianyar, Bali.

She is invigorated by anything to do with her life in Balinese dance. She was overjoyed when Slamet came to her three years ago with a proposal to be part of a film on Balinese society. There were no concerns about what role she would play in the movie, but only the thought of how the film would allow her to contribute her expertise to others.

Ni Cenik realized that putting her vast knowledge on celluloid would allow it to live on and travel far, spreading the word about the great love of her life. She viewed it as a means to store the soul of dance. In her great enthusiasm for the project, she was never short of energy or balked at Slamet's directions.

The film is based on a novel and screenplay by Putut Wijaya, a Balinese artist who fully understands the life and aspirations of both the traditional and modern communities of the island. The film explores the conflict between the two worlds.

Ni Cenik plays the mother of Daku (Suwijo Tejo), a reporter in Jakarta. The mother bombards her son with telegrams about life in the village and the fractured lives of Daku's parents. The telegrams eventually become a terrifying form of harassment for Daku.

Despite her advanced years, Ni Cenik continues to perform lakon Calonarang, a classical Balinese dance which has fallen out of favor with today's youth. The Balinese believe the dance is imbued with mysticism; the dancers often lose themselves in a trance-like state.

In Pakuwudan, Ni Cenik lives with her children's families and her grandchildren. Some of her days are occupied with teaching dance to young students, including ones from Japan and Europe. Her husband, the late Ketut Reneh, was an artist and dancer.

One of their children who followed in their footsteps is Made Jimat, who lives next door to Ni Cenik. Made Jimat is a dancer of Baris and a choreographer who is often invited to perform abroad. He also has several students who come almost daily for lessons in his yard.

Ni Cenik began by studying joged pingitan from I Wayan Kuir, followed by the Arja dance from Anak Agung Mandra Ukrian. Ironically, Ni Cenik was not considered an outstanding dancer by her teachers.

Ni Cenik began teaching the Arja near her village, and then moved on to teach as far as Tabanan, and the villages of Culik Karangasem, Peliatan, Palasari, Tampaksiring, Tegenungan, through to 1984. Today, most of her teaching is done in the home.

The greatest impression from the aging Ni Cenik are her principles and total dedication to the arts, particularly dance.

"I want forever to keep on dancing," said the dancer who traveled to several countries on dance tours.

She said among today's dancers there were those "who dance but don't dance". She described metaksu in the dance world, meaning a spiritual calling to dance, and the dancers who were known as pintar (exceptional), what she was able to display on stage.

Ni Cenik also dismissed the view that dancers must be lithe and possess a beautiful young face. She believes the most important factors were total dedication to dance, a proficiency in agem, tandang and sikap, the fundamental moves of Balinese dance and the ability to "feel" the dance to produce a spiritual and beautiful performance.

Unwavering concentration is also essential in dance, Ni Cenik said. It is not only the body that moves, but also the soul and spirit; body and soul must be put into the dance. She added that a dancer also must bring experience to the stage.

When she performs as sisya, the students in the Calonarang who are associated with the spiritual underworld, it's not enough to provide a blank image to the audience that sisya are searching for something in a cemetery. The intent of the dancer must be conveyed to onlookers through more than just the way she moves.

Ni Cenik also uses the example of how a dancer expresses a kiss to someone or something. It does not need to be a vulgar movement to push the point home, but it should be enough for the audience to understand the dancer is expressing a kiss.

With all her years of experience and understanding of the discipline, Ni Cenik regrets that many of today's young Balinese dancers are already considered qualified if they can memorize the dance moves and don flashy costumes. She said many local dance schools were nothing more than factories for dance "workers", not dancers.

Ni Cenik noted how many young dancers performed in hotels in abbreviated versions of traditional dances. The dances are shortened for tourists because of the fear that boredom will set in if they take too long. She said the dances aimed at tourists needed to be balanced with those performed in religious temples for cultural purposes.

Telegram played during the French Film Festival, along with French movies and three other Indonesian films, in Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Bandung, from June 2 until June 17. Unlike other film "stars" who make the rounds promoting their movies, Ni Cenik is content to stay at home, teaching her more than 100 students the moves she knows best.

The film is scheduled to play at the city's major movie theaters next month.