Expressing humanity through language of dance
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."