Exploring taboos in search of contentment

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): There are many things that bother Rusdy Rukmarata, 37, in life, but what he finds most traumatic is the refusal of people to talk about things that really matter.

Rusdy detests taboos, especially taboos concerning matters that are close to the heart. So the alumni of the London Contemporary Dance School has created a little world of his own in this money-mad city of Jakarta where like-minded people can open their hearts and minds to the many other problems that dwarf human existence.

Here, more than 60 youngsters from all over the country and between the ages of 17 years and 29 years not only study the art of dance and drama but they live together like a large family, without walls, sharing their disappointments and aspirations with each other in the hope of becoming not just professional dancers but wholesome human beings as well.

Rusdy does not like the thought of art being treated by contemporary society as an extracurricular activity. He would like to see it become an essential part of everyone's life and to make that dream come true, he stages regular performances at the studio itself on Jalan Padang, South Jakarta, under an ongoing program called Urban Ritual.

Together with his wife, Aiko, he founded Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia (EKI), a residential studio in 1996 to try and free the spirit of both the dancers and his audience toward goals that soar far beyond the material world. Inspired by the more liberal and tolerant lifestyles of the country's ancient population, especially the ones responsible for building the Borobudur temple (Karmawibhangga is the hidden relief at the bottom of the Buddhist temple) Rusdy chooses themes like abortion, sex, lust and marriage for his dance dramas.

Aiko, managing director of EKI, in fact is convinced that the cause of all present day chaos in the country is due to the easily manipulative man-woman relationship. This theme was explored extremely creatively in Laki-Laki (Men), EKI's 41st production staged in April 1999 and whose essence lay in the electrifying phrase, "Sudah to, mas!" (It's enough dear!)

Rusdy finds it most frustrating when he is caught socializing in one living room after another and is forced to participate in discussions only about politics and the economy. "These topics are considered so essential while nobody wants to talk about or find out what is happening in our personal lives," complains Rusdy.

Obviously, his mind is not on who will become president or what the IMF might think of Indonesia. He is haunted instead by childhood memories of why the bedroom door of his parents was often kept locked; why he could not walk in when he wanted to be with them? Being an only child, there was no one in his family who could answer these questions puzzling the little boy.

Later in life, Rusdy realized that his parents went through grave problems but they never talked to him about them. He feels betrayed that nobody confided in him, despite the rationalization that they must have wanted to save him the pain, or felt too ashamed to talk about the troubles. He still feels left out. He could have tried to help, but the facade of a happy, harmonious family was kept up even as the souls of people who are very near and dear to each other were being ripped apart.

Rusdy also has other thoughts on his mind, like how to help the teenager in the family who gets pregnant out of wedlock and about the dancer who was being sexually molested by her own brother? Why is it that his wife is understanding when he feels close to some dancers and throws a fit when he gets close to another?

Marriage should ideally increase the love between a man and a woman, but why is it that so many marriages sour after a while? Apart from dancing, the other goal in Rusdy's life is to keep the doors of communication forever open, not just for his wife and four children, but also for everyone else he knows in life.

Rusdy finds Indonesian art and culture infinitely rich but stays away from black and white moral positions highlighted in most narrations. For there is no good without some evil, and every evil also has some good, he feels. In his opinion, people like himself are orang-orang ketiga (third people) who live in the gray area and who rise up each time to get on with life after having hopefully learned from the numerous mistakes they repeatedly make. That is why he calls his group eksotika as he feels that each member of the dance company is unique and should be given the space to bloom to his or her full potential, without anybody sitting in judgment of anybody else.

The latest recruit to the dance company is an attractive looking 17 year old from the troubled island of Ambon. Heavily into drugs and ready to join the army of religious arsonists, Allan's life was transformed once he met Rusdy some three months ago. Now he has little time to be destructive as he practices dancing at least for four continuous hours each day and also learns other aspects of stagecraft. When questioned by The Jakarta Post on how he felt as a student of dance he replied, "Great".

But he laughed sheepishly when asked how many people he had hurt in the ethnic violence in Ambon.

So involved is Rusdy in the personal lives of the members of his group that he does not have to go very far for inspiration for his performances. For him, each human being has a fascinating story and all that he suggests we do is pause and listen. For those interested in lending an ear to EKI, the Exotic Millennium Art Festival will be held in the surreal surroundings of Megamendung, on July 11 and July 12 at Amerta, the open air stage tucked away in the mountains of West Java.

For further inquiries, call 8312377 or 8313029, fax 8314950 or e-mail eksotika@indo.net.id.