Didik Nini Thowok blends different cultures on stage

Israr Ardiansyah, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Blending elements of Javanese and Japanese culture in dance may seem almost inconceivable, but noted dancer Didik Nini Thowok has succeeded in creating a synergy between the two.

Titled Kala Kina Kini, which in Javanese means "from past to present", the show by the Didik Nini Thowok Foundation held on Monday evening at Purna Budaya Art Center in Yogyakarta drew an enthusiastic audience.

Hundreds of tickets at prices ranging from Rp 15,000 (US$1.3) to Rp 50,000 were sold out. The audience gave a standing ovation after watching four separate compositions in the 90-minute show.

Five female dancers in contemporary costumes performed the Kipas dance. Resembling the Japanese traditional dance Nihon Buyo, the dancers waved ogi (Japanese traditional fans) to illustrate the different seasons in Japan. The Javanese elements in the dance were the musical accompaniment and batik dress worn as a kimono by performer Richard Emmert.

For the show, Didik developed one of his trademark comedy dances Dwimuka (Two Faces) -- where he usually dances with two masks: one on his face and the other on the other side -- into Panca-Muka (Five Faces). Here, he transformed into five different women in only minutes.

The only comical dance in the show prompted the silent audience to burst into laughter when he ended the dance piece by yelling out "Yuk ... mang! (Come on ... mang)" before leaving the stage in his loosely fitting costume. The scene parodied RCTI's popular Saturday midnight program Angin Malam (Night Breeze) featuring mysterious alluring dancer Putri Malam (Lady of the Night).

The peak of the performance was Bedhaya-Hagoromo, a medley of traditional Javanese palace dances Bedhaya and popular Japanese plays of the classical mask drama Noh repertory: Hagoromo.

Hagoromo, meaning feathered robe, tells of an angel who comes down to earth to bathe and a fisherman who steals her robe. She begs him to return her robe. He finally returns the robe, on one condition: she has to dance for him.

The Bedhaya dance, which was performed by nine males as female impersonators, merged into Hagoromo when the nine suddenly turned their backs to don Japanese masks. The traditional Javanese music harmonized with Japanese vocals sung by Richard Emmert.

Didik performed the dance as an angel who flew back to heaven with the chorus describing how she flew over the pine woods of Mio, the peaks of Mount Fuji before fading away into the clouds.

Richard Emmert, an American who has been living in Japan for 31 years and is one of the country's most respected Noh drama artists could not disguise his satisfaction.

"It's an interesting challenge to mix the Javanese Bedhaya with the Japanese Noh since they have a different energy. I'm very happy with the success of Didik's performance," he told The Jakarta Post.

"He has been popular as a dancer performing comic characterizations but it (the performance) has shown that he's a good and serious dancer too. I'm proud to have a student named Didik Nini Thowok," he added.

Didik learned Noh drama from experts in Japan, including Emmert, during a Japan Foundation fellowship program he joined last year.

Meanwhile, renowned ethnomusicologist Alex Dea, who supported the show, said that his biggest challenge was to provide a smooth and harmonious melody for the performance. "The challenge is: how to give a suitable accompaniment for this show," he said.

Vincent Lelay, one of the International Mask Festival's committee, said Didik had made a huge contribution to the promotion of Indonesian traditional masks through his performances.

"It's a pity only a few sponsors wanted to participate in this cultural event," he said.

Kala Kina Kini has proven that Didik Nini Thowok, born as Didik Hadiprayitno, could be a serious dancer.

Jakartans would have been the first to watch the show if the scheduled performance in October was not canceled due to security reasons. They will have to wait until March next year to watch the harmonious blend of Javanese and Japanese culture on stage.