Expressing humanity through language of dance
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The body can say what words cannot, British choreographer Martha Graham once asserted.
This sentiment is most apt to describe the significance of dance for Takako Leen Senosoenoto, one of the main dancers in local contemporary dance company Eksotika Kharmawibangga Indonesia (EKI).
"I'm more of an introverted person. But when I'm dancing, I'm able to channel and explore my emotions clearly," said the 30- year-old Takako, or Tata as she is known to her friends.
Graham's statement, in a way, is also appropriate for describing Tata herself. Personally friendly, although somewhat blunt, simple and not very fluent with words, a completely different persona appears as soon as Tata is on stage, as shown in her recent solo performance titled Balladance at the Goethe Institute.
She became a firm yet restless woman. Her petite but toned body jumped, ran, moved about, rolled on the floor and did somersaults -- the flexibility and eloquence of a dancer with 18 years of experience.
Sadness and despair were reflected on her face, as well as anger, in line with the song she chose to accompany her movement. The song was Untukmu Negeri (For You, My Country) by noted singer/ songwriter Iwan Fals.
"There are two things that we want to convey in this number. It is about a woman who, while wanting to accentuate her femininity and beauty, also wants to release her tension and emotions. She wants to break the stereotype that women should be passive and quiet.
"This dance number is also an analogy for our ibu pertiwi (motherland), who is no longer as pretty as she used to be," said Tata in an interview prior to the performance.
Once in a while, she would excuse herself and sniff as if suffering from a cold.
"I just got back from Japan where I went to attend a religious ceremony, sort of like going on a pilgrimage to Mecca for Muslims," said Tata, who is a Buddhist.
Born of a Japanese mother and Indonesian father, Tata inherited more than just her light and smooth complexion and high cheek bones. Taking after her parents, she is a member of the Buddhist Nichiren Syosyu sect.
"My religion has no taboos at all. The monks can even consume meat, get married and, when they're not on duty, they can wear ordinary clothes. It focuses more on inner responsibility and inner risk. Everything is based on karma," she said.
This belief, she added, had molded her into an open-minded and free spirited person.
Little Tata fell in love with dancing when she was only six. The love affair started when she took Balinese dance lessons and later on gymnastics and ballet lessons.
"I just loved to perform in front of a crowd and get their attention. That was what dancing meant to me," Tata said, smiling.
That was until she joined EKI in 1995, a dance company led by her sister Aiko and brother-in-law Rusdy Rukmarata.
"It was not until then that I realized we must have a mission in dancing, which should be to convey the message of humanity," said Tata, who admires Liza Minelli for her "ability to sing, dance and act, and always appear happy on stage no matter what."
Ever since then, dancing has become an even greater addiction for her as she feels able to touch the audience's deepest feelings.
"Often after I perform, people come up to me, crying and all, saying that they were really touched by the emotion that I put into my dancing. It was this that made me more aware of the power of dancing," Tata said.
The addiction to dancing translates into a tight schedule with rehearsals taking up seven-and-a-half hours a day seven days a week.
"The EKI is very disciplined. We're not allowed to smoke, drink ... We can't even get sick. But all of the drills are important if we want to improve and become the best," said Tata, who decided to give up college for dancing.
Either with the EKI or by herself, she has performed dozens of dance numbers, mostly ballet jazz numbers. She has also appeared on television, including a performance for CNN's Inside Asia in 1997.
Her resume also includes participation in dance workshops in foreign countries such as Germany, Canada and the Netherlands, and she has also created several dance choreographies.
"I have yet to be able to create the choreography for a solo performance, though. That needs a certain maturity, experience and technique which I have yet to master," said Tata, who recently took a singing course "to be like the Broadway actress".
While dancing is her life, there was a period when she stopped doing it for a year. That was when her father died in 1993.
"I was very close to him and he was the one who was really supportive. I was really down at the time. I even ruined a relationship with a guy just because I forced him too much to be like my father," Tata said, adding that encouragement from Rusdy allowed her to regain her spirit of dance.
Her mother, however, while not being against Tata's occupation, thinks that dancing has made men shun her.
"She thinks, who would want to be my boyfriend if male dancers can touch my body? It's partly true, though, as there are men who draw back as soon as they see me on stage," said Tata laughing.
"That shows that people still think dancers are the same as prostitutes. I don't blame them as there are many dancers who are like that."
Tata does not worry about her marital status, saying that women should not just surrender to stereotypes and patriarchal norms, or, even worse, give up their careers just because society tells them to do so.
For the moment, her focus is on improving the contemporary dance scene here.
"Contemporary dance here is about taking elements from traditional dance and modifying it a bit. Contemporary dance, however, should be a lot more than that. It requires difficult techniques derived from ballet.
"I also dream that dancers will be more appreciated. Right now, the government only focuses on traditional dance while our contemporary dancers are as good as in many other countries. Many foreigners are even surprised to see how good the contemporary dance scene here is."