Guess What? Ditta Miranda

Professional dancer Ditta Miranda trod the road of hard knocks for nine long years before she stepped onto Gedung Kesenian Jakarta's stage for a fascinating performance with her German dance company, Bremer Tanztheater.

By all accounts, it was worth the wait.

"Ditta always knew she wanted to be a dancer," said Farida Oetojo, a former dancer and now well-known ballet instructor.

Ditta, 32, studied dance at Farida's Sumber Cipta dance group for 12 years, before continuing to Germany on a dance scholarship from the Goethe Institute. She resides in Germany.

"It was really hard from the beginning. Even Farida thought that I did not have the ideal figure for a dancer," Ditta told The Jakarta Post.

Great willpower won over and she finally danced at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta two weeks ago. "She has been working real hard," said Farida.

Living abroad for the past nine years has not swayed how Ditta views her faith. Luck, she said, had also helped her develop her successful dance career.

"I chose Germany because education there is cheaper than that in America. Farida's son had already studied there when I moved to Germany," said Ditta.

After she graduated from Folkwang School in Essen in 1994, she joined the dance company of Bausch, a renowned choreographer in Europe. A year later, she became a member of Bremer Tanztheater led by Susanne Linke.

Ditta is reluctant to return permanently to her homeland because she believes the environment is not conducive to developing her talent.

"Last year, I went to a dance festival in the playhouse. Although the performance was wonderful, many of the dancers came to practice sessions late. Many dancers here still cannot devote themselves to dance."

Even though she stole the show in Jakarta, Ditta admitted she had butterflies for several days before the performance.

"I am really surprised at the response from the audience. It was great," she said. (46)