Art Summit'95 to present noted works

Art Summit'95 to present noted works

JAKARTA (JP): While some may hesitate when it comes to
attending contemporary and so-called avant-garde works, these
doubts should be quickly put aside. Art Summit '95, which will
present 15 contemporary dance and music groups from nine
different countries, has something for everyone. Here are a few
highlights from an exceptionally prestigious lineup.

From Indonesia, music composer Slamet Abdul Syukur will
present four scores, including a new commissioned work that
commemorates Indonesia's 50th Anniversary of Independence
entitled, O M. Rahayu Supanggah will present a musical
arrangement comprised of four compositions entitled Garap.
Choreographer Bagong Kussudiardjo will stage Semar and Lelakon
which both explore life and its complexities. Also, Sardono W.
Kusumo has choreographed Opera Diponegoro, to be performed by 50
dancers and musicians. Sardono delves into the life of Prince
Diponegoro, both his private journeys and his resistance against
Dutch colonialism in early 19th century.

Appearing from Japan will be two butoh dance groups. The Butoh
(dance of darkness) dance form was developed in the 1960s as a
response to the post-nuclear age. Kazuo Ohno, a pioneer butoh
dancer, will be appearing with his son Yashito Ohno. At the
venerable age of 89, he has amassed an international following
for his haunting and sometimes comic dances. He will perform Ka
Cho Fu Getsu (Flowers-Birds-Winds-Moon) which received rave
reviews for its New York performance in 1993. Sankai Juku, also
from Japan, was established in 1977 and has been conducting
around-the-world tours since 1984. They will be performing
Unetsu, The Egg Stands Out of Curiosity.

Also from Japan is the renowned Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa,
which, under the leadership of Maestro Hiroyuki Iwaki, features
38 members from seven different countries chosen from a pool of
over 1,000 musicians.

The dance groups from Ghana (The Ghana Dance Ensemble) and
from India (Chandralekha) will both draw upon local traditions
within a contemporary framework. The Ghanaian group, which has
been touring internationally since 1968, will perform four dances
that explore themes of a girl's coming-of-age ceremony, calabash
and xylophone music from Northern Ghana, as well as a
contemporary rendition of a Northern Ghanaian dance called Solma.
Chandralekha, who was at one time a leading exponent of the
classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam, left the stage for a time,
only to return as a leading force in Indian contemporary dance in
1985. She will be performing Mahakal -- Invoking Time.

The Paul Dresher Ensemble, from the United States, performs a
mix of opera and experimental music that combines acoustic with
state-of-the-art electronic instruments. Their program is
entitled Looking West to East and includes a host of works that
reflect a vibrant mix of styles, instrumentation and
compositional techniques of contemporary American and Pacific Rim
traditional and modern cultures.

There are tickets available for all performances and the
seminar is open to the public for a fee of Rp 100,000 (US$44.44).
For complete schedule information call the ASI '95 Committee at
314-2216. (C.G. Asmara)