Festival brings dance to stage

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.