Guruh to perform at the Spirit of Indonesia
Guruh to perform at the Spirit of Indonesia
JAKARTA (JP): Choreographer Guruh Soekarnoputra will present
Indonesia's most spectacular traditional and contemporary dances
this week, in an effort to enhance Indonesia's flagging image,
damaged by the economic and political turmoil that has enveloped
the nation over recent months.
The dances will be performed at the Spirit of Indonesia
Charity Nights on Friday and Saturday at the Sapta Pesona
Ballroom, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Jl. Medan
Merdeka Barat No. 17, Central Jakarta.
Charity nights, endeavoring to capture the "spirit of
Indonesia", is intended to introduce performance art to diplomats
and expatriates, in an attempt to boost confidence in Indonesia
overseas.
"We hope to portray a more positive image of this country
through these performances," Guruh said.
The son of former president Sukarno, Guruh has devoted much of
his life to the arts. A noted choreographer, songwriter and
entertainment promotions manager, Guruh is famous both here and
overseas for his unique ability to blend traditional dance themes
with modern techniques.
In this his latest offering, Guruh brings to life some of the
most captivating traditional and contemporary Indonesian dances,
including Gending Sriwijaya, a South Sumatran welcome dance,
Topeng Cirebon, the celebrated mask dance from Cirebon, at the
border of West and Central Java, and the flamboyant post modern
production Zamrud Khatulistiwa (Equatorial Emerald).
Encompassing several generations of performance art, the
production will be divided into two parts, the first showcasing
traditional Indonesian dance and the second modern contemporary
dance. The eight dances on the program will be performed by over
50 dancers from Guruh's GSP Productions dance troupe.
Guruh believes the highlight of the evening will be the
elaborate Cirebon mask dance. He said that despite the obvious
cultural value of traditional fine arts, many ancient dances and
music had all but disappeared.
"As an Indonesian I feel it is very important to conserve
these dance forms and although these performances are intended to
promote Indonesian culture to expatriates and diplomats, it is my
hope that they will also raise the consciousness of the
importance of these traditional art forms generally", he said.
Funds raised at the charity nights will be donated to the
Guruh Sukarno Foundation and will be used to create video and
audio recordings of traditional dance and music.
Marzuki Usman, minister of tourism, arts and culture, said in
a statement that he welcomed Guruh's efforts, to stimulate the
development of Indonesia's modern arts and enhance the image of
tourism.
"The cultural landscape of Indonesia is arguably its main
tourism asset which can be packaged as an attraction both for
foreign and domestic tourists as well," he said.
The charity nights will also provide an opportunity for
Indonesian entrepreneurs to promote products for export during
intermission. (Brigid O'Halloran)