Dancer showcases peace and tranquility
Dancer showcases peace and tranquility
Kartika Bagus C., The Jakarta Post, Solo, Central Java
An enthusiastic ovation marked the end of Indian dancer Astad
Deboo's last performance of the evening, Every Fragment of Dust
is Wakened, in the theater of the Indonesian Arts Institute in
the Central Java town of Surakarta.
Performed to an arrangement by Japanese musician Yoichiro
Yoshikawa, the dance was one of three -- besides Aahavan and
Stepping Out -- recently presented by Deboo in Surakarta.
Every Fragment was energetic, with dancer and choreographer
Astad Deboo twirling endlessly in different forms during the 20-
minute show.
This work represents the spirit of peace and tranquility
inherent in man, which must be sought and applied to life, lest
our lives drift along aimlessly.
Among world-class dancers, Astad Deboo is known for his
innovative pieces drawn from the classical Indian Kathak and
Khatali dances, combined with his knowledge of dance styles the
world over.
Anhavan, for instance, performed to music by Amelia Chuni,
applies the techniques of Emotion Bhakti, known as the source of
the artistic concord and devotion generally represented in Indian
dances.
While most dancers dedicate their performances to the Hindu
deities Shiva and Ganesha as a form of worship, Astad Deboo
devotes his dances to space and the body, which are integrated in
his choreography and accompanying music.
In Stepping Out, Bert Ankham arranged the music based on Astad
Deboo's interpretations of anxiety and alertness, which were
translated into movement using steel stairs as props in an
expression of freedom and spontaneity.
According to Deboo, the show was a smooth blend of traditional
and modern elements without any segregation between the two
styles.
"All emotions can thus be expressed without limits, while the
audience's feedback adds to the dancer's zeal," said Deboo, who
holds the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, India's most prestigious
trophy awarded to performing artists.
Deboo made it clear that Indian traditional dances were not
like those featured in Bollywood films. The dances he performed
at the theater of Surakarta's art institute, he said, were known
as art dances in India.
As a child, Astad Deboo was trained in Kathak classical dance.
He was inspired to break away from the tight and binding
classical tradition when he met contemporary dance instructor
Murray Louis, who asked him to develop a unique style of his own.
The quest led Deboo to a long exploration of the traditional
dances of South America, Japan, Europe and China, as well as
Indonesia.
In the meantime, his dynamic performances attracted dance
critics across the world, from Pina Bausch of the Wuppertal Dance
Company in Germany, to Alison Chase of the Pilobulus Company in
America.
Recently, Astad Deboo collaborated with traditional drummers
and war-themed art singers from northern India, heralding a new
development in his art, and has graced the world with his dances
in no less than 46 countries.
Kartika Bagus C., The Jakarta Post, Solo, Central Java
An enthusiastic ovation marked the end of Indian dancer Astad
Deboo's last performance of the evening, Every Fragment of Dust
is Wakened, in the theater of the Indonesian Arts Institute in
the Central Java town of Surakarta.
Performed to an arrangement by Japanese musician Yoichiro
Yoshikawa, the dance was one of three -- besides Aahavan and
Stepping Out -- recently presented by Deboo in Surakarta.
Every Fragment was energetic, with dancer and choreographer
Astad Deboo twirling endlessly in different forms during the 20-
minute show.
This work represents the spirit of peace and tranquility
inherent in man, which must be sought and applied to life, lest
our lives drift along aimlessly.
Among world-class dancers, Astad Deboo is known for his
innovative pieces drawn from the classical Indian Kathak and
Khatali dances, combined with his knowledge of dance styles the
world over.
Anhavan, for instance, performed to music by Amelia Chuni,
applies the techniques of Emotion Bhakti, known as the source of
the artistic concord and devotion generally represented in Indian
dances.
While most dancers dedicate their performances to the Hindu
deities Shiva and Ganesha as a form of worship, Astad Deboo
devotes his dances to space and the body, which are integrated in
his choreography and accompanying music.
In Stepping Out, Bert Ankham arranged the music based on Astad
Deboo's interpretations of anxiety and alertness, which were
translated into movement using steel stairs as props in an
expression of freedom and spontaneity.
According to Deboo, the show was a smooth blend of traditional
and modern elements without any segregation between the two
styles.
"All emotions can thus be expressed without limits, while the
audience's feedback adds to the dancer's zeal," said Deboo, who
holds the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, India's most prestigious
trophy awarded to performing artists.
Deboo made it clear that Indian traditional dances were not
like those featured in Bollywood films. The dances he performed
at the theater of Surakarta's art institute, he said, were known
as art dances in India.
As a child, Astad Deboo was trained in Kathak classical dance.
He was inspired to break away from the tight and binding
classical tradition when he met contemporary dance instructor
Murray Louis, who asked him to develop a unique style of his own.
The quest led Deboo to a long exploration of the traditional
dances of South America, Japan, Europe and China, as well as
Indonesia.
In the meantime, his dynamic performances attracted dance
critics across the world, from Pina Bausch of the Wuppertal Dance
Company in Germany, to Alison Chase of the Pilobulus Company in
America.
Recently, Astad Deboo collaborated with traditional drummers
and war-themed art singers from northern India, heralding a new
development in his art, and has graced the world with his dances
in no less than 46 countries.