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)