Dancer twirls crockery in homage to mother

Dancer twirls crockery in homage to mother

By Sirikit Syah

SURABAYA (JP): Parmin Ras broke dozens of plates during the
painstaking creative process for refining his dance number, The
Empty Plates.

It was not a pleasant experience, especially when the family
income depended on how many bowls of gado-gado salad his wife
could sell every day.

"And Parmin didn't want to practice with plastic or metal
plates, he insisted on ceramic or glass plates," explained
Listyas, married to the dancer for 20 years.

Result is that Parmin is now uncannily familiar with the
crockery. He can twist and turn them in his hands however he
likes, and they still stick without any use of material
assistance.

He boasted he recorded "zero percent dropping possibility".

The Empty Plates composition is in memory of his mother.

"I remember her love and care, feeding us, 11 children, in
times of difficulty," said Parmin, who is in his 40s.

Dancing on and with plates expresses his gratitude to her.
When he performed the dance in England last year, several
audience members cried at the sincerity of his work, he said.

The Empty Plates is one of three compositions he will perform
in Australia later this month at the invitation of the
Dancehouse: Center for Moving Arts in Victoria. He will also
conduct workshops.

Parmin, scheduled to leave for Victoria today, will also
include The Frame and 7 Hours of Movement.

"For The Frame, I will use support from Australian dancers,
and that's why we need to have two weeks of workshops prior to
the performance."

He planned to invite several Indonesian dancers and musicians
to support him in the other compositions, but there were
financial problems. Dancehouse is only taking care of his daily
needs, excluding the cost of air tickets.

The Frame is a reflection of a social phenomenon, while 7
Hours of Movement is about life, an interaction between man and
God, the environment and the community surrounding him. For seven
hours, Parmin will move and shake every part of his body in an
open arena, interacting with life surrounding him.

From August to November of last year, Parmin was in Britain,
attending an international festival of art, movement and theater
in Devon. He also performed in London, Aberdare, Bath, Fromme,
and Birmingham.

"I am happy because I could share my artistic experience with
my colleagues there. I conducted workshops, and they were very
enthusiastic to participate."

He said his students had little difficulty in adapting to
Eastern movements "because most of them know something about
Indian traditional dances".

Living abroad for three months was not always fun. He ran out
of money several times. Parmin overcame his financial problems by
working as a studio model for artists and taking odd jobs.

But he continued with his main goals to dance and to teach
dancing. He must have impressed someone -- he has received an
invitation to return, this time from July until the end of the
year.

The father of three -- one of them is enrolled in dance at the
Jakarta Art Institute -- never studied dance formally. He
developed his love of the arts and dance from his grandfather, a
dalang, or puppet master.

Parmin has dedicated more than half his life to dancing, even
though the income is small and often erratic. He rarely gets
regular performance jobs because his dance technique is unique,
unusual and contemporary -- the unpopular kind.

In Ozone 2040, for instance, he included his small son, who
hid within a drum full of a gooey liquid before appearing before
the audience.

In 1996, when he debuted 7 Hours of Movement, he started
dancing at dawn in his neighborhood, to the bemusement of his
neighbors. He moved while preparing his children to go to school
and kissing them goodbye, having breakfast with his wife and
communicating with passersby.

The "show" finally ended at noon.

"I've heard it all before," the long-suffering Listyas said.
"People say funny things about my husband.

"It's all right because I support him."