Festival brings dance to stage

Kartika Bagus C., Contributor, Surakarta, Central Java

Observing dance development is always interesting in this country, home to a great diversity of cultures and ethnic groups, as well as talented artists and a rich variety of dances.

This interesting development was brought to stage when the Central Java town of Surakarta hosted a solo dance festival from April 22 through April 24 at the Surakarta-based Indonesia Arts Institute (STSI) grand theater this year.

For three consecutive nights, 11 dancers -- Lena Guslina, Djarot B. Darsono, Besar Widodo, Peni Puspita, Agus Mardiyanto, I Nyoman Sura, Maria Bernadeth, Iin Ainar, Ali Sukri, Elly D. Luthan and Fajar Satriadi -- went all out to present their choreography, to the delight of the expectant audience.

Lena Guslina, for instance, presented Kepak Seribu Sayap (Flapping of a Thousand Wings), which glued the audience to their seats, enchanting visitors with the choreography's beautiful movements under shimmering, silvery light and the use of a shawl to express the movement of flapping wings.

Born in Bandung, West Java, Lena is well-known as an innovative choreographer who enlivens her creations by exploring the aesthetic and philosophical elements of her bodily movements to the utmost.

Elly D. Luthan's Wisik (Whisper) contemplated a woman's conscience in dealing with problems in her life. Through the choreography, heavily influenced by Javanese culture, she emphasized that a woman was not just an object but played an important role within society.

Another piece, titled Bulan Mati (Dead Moon), by STSI Denpasar dance lecturer I Nyoman Sura, was no less interesting. Clad in a long, white gown, the artist dwelled on the philosophical meaning of one's search for identity, which he likened to the dim light of the moon.

Accompanied by New Age music in the background, Sura's creation was distinctive, though not as beautiful as traditional dance from Yogyakarta or Surakarta.

Dance observer and lecturer at STSI Surakarta Wahyu Prabowo said the works presented at the festival showed the existence of the choreographer-cum-dancer in the local dance arena. He said that to become a choreographer as well as a dancer, artists had to have extraordinary energy to perform their creations.

"Some dancers can even dominate a large stage while, at the same time, interact with stage lights, showing their total dedication toward creative expression," Wahyu said in praise.

Unfortunately, he said, most of the participating dancers were still strongly influenced by Western contemporary art, with only a handful skilled at creating local contemporary pieces.

However, he hoped the three-day festival -- the second such -- could serve as a new opportunity for Indonesian dancers and choreographers to present their work and inspire them to come up with new, fresh ideas.