Choreographers set to gather at Surakarta dance festival

By Retno Pujiastuti

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): While dance choreographers create works for themselves and others, they rarely have the chance to express themselves as solo dancers.

It takes intellect, imagination, intensity and a profound understanding to build the creative energy necessary for a performance. They need synergy and supreme skills to bring all their energies together, to put on stage for an audience the creativity which has taken years of painstaking practice and discipline to learn and hone.

Often, with all their other commitments in the effort to earn a living, choreographers are too spent to present their individual efforts.

But an effort is under way to redress the balance. They will have the opportunity to express themselves at the Solo Dance Festival 2001 from Saturday to Monday.

Performing arts organizer MATaYA Production, together with the Indonesian College of Art (STSI) in Surakarta, has put together the festival in homage to choreographers-solo dancers. Both institutions decided to use "solo" in the title of the festival because it not only denotes the other name for Surakarta, but also the efforts of dancers on their own.

Exploring the theme Transcultural in the Body, the festival will not only feature dance performances, but also a performing- arts photography exhibition, an informal meeting of dancers and a workshop on the Indramayu Mask Dance.

Twelve choreographers-solo dancers are scheduled to participate, coming from Yogyakarta, Malang in East Java, Padang and Padang Panjang in West Sumatra, Medan in North Sumatra, Jakarta, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Indramayu in West Java and the host city.

The festival will be held at Teater Besar, STSI Surakarta, Jl. Ki Hajar Dewantara 14, Kentingan Jebres, Surakarta.

The workshop will be led by a well-known mask dancer from Indramayu, Ibu Wangi Indriya, and there will also be a special dance performance from the Mangkunegara royal court.

Ibu Tarwo Sumosutargio, a 68-year-old dancer from the court, will perform Golek Montro, a repertoire that reflects the acculturation between the courts of Ngayogyakarta, which is the Yogyakarta palace, and Mangkunegara.

The organizer of this great event is a network for performing arts which was founded five years ago in the city. It has become a partner and a network for those who consider themselves as performing-arts artists and activists in creating creative works the country. It also provides promotional services for the performing arts and cultural information.

Its stated vision is to create a balance between management of performing arts productions and the creative processes of the artists.

Ultimately, it wants to become a creative hub for the Indonesian performing arts community.

The membership of the institution is open to all involved in the performing arts and its interdisciplinary nature is an attempt to provide space and opportunities to all of those who are experts and professionals in their fields.

In the past five years MATaYA Production has worked together with many arts groups, from dance, theater, music and fine arts, in the country. Since 1998 it has held a dance forum specifically for women choreographers. Held every two years, it has already emerged as an important dance forum for women choreographers from Indonesia and abroad.

For more information on the schedule of the Solo Dance Festival 2001, contact MATaYA Production, tel.0816675808; Fax.(0271) 641334; e-mail: mataya@lycos.com