JP/18/NAMARI

JP/18/NAMARI

pakai logo Schouwburg
Namarina ballet captivates GKJ audience

Karen Stingemore
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Swans glided by, storms raged and leprechauns brought magic to
the stage of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (GKJ) as part of the
Schouwburg IV-2005 festival, where the Namarina dance school
performed Dance in Motion Three on Tuesday.

The school was opened in 1956 and is renowned for its
innovative and progressive dance: The audience was not left
disappointed.

Dance in Motion Three was a compilation of two classical
ballet pieces and two more contemporary works.

The first was a classical piece titled Ouverture,
choreographed by Rialita Wijaya. The dancers were clad in orange
and black and moved gracefully to the sounds of Vivaldi.

Although coordination of the dancers left something to be
desired the audience was more wrapped up in the energy of the
dance to really take too much notice.

The second dance, Les Danseuses, choreographed by Sussi
Anddri, was performed with style and skill and was the most
traditional piece of the evening.

The dancers' white, willowy dresses added a surreal quality to
the performance and the duos were perfectly synchronized, while
the solos were breathtaking.

The backdrop to the set added to the nuance of the
performance; it shifted from dark to light as the music shifted
from Bach to Vivaldi.

The audience had the feeling of being taken on a journey
through four seasons and many moods.

As the dancers bowed their heads and looked woefully out at
the audience there was a sense of despair, but that quickly
turned to elation as the tempo changed and the dancers smiled and
leaped gracefully through the air.

The contemporary piece, titled Mix Sense, had the entire
audience tapping their feet to the music's catchy rhythms.

The piece began with three dances in black and silver in front
of a background of swirling clouds, moving in perfect timing to
the tribal music.

The dance really showcased the athletic prowess of the
dancers, with their sharp, fast movements.

A few minutes into the dance another group of performers
dressed in red and silver costumes entered and began to move in
very showy, Spanish style, but that changed once more as the
Irish fiddles began to play.

The dancers moved in line formations similar to those in
Riverdance, the Irish dance phenomenon that exploded onto the
dance scene in the late 90s.

Choreographer of Mix Sense Dinar Karina was excited by
Namarina's performance and pleased with the caliber of the
dancing.

"It took a month to prepare the dancers for this performance.
The school usually puts on a large production at least once a
year," Dinar said.

"I'm really interested in world music, so Mix Sense was
inspired by international influences such as Irish music and
dance but the movements were mostly derived from classical
ballet, although they were mixed with more modern styles and
traditional moves from countries like Ireland."

The last dance, Ce-le-brass-ion, also choreographed by Dinar
Karina, was an upbeat jazz piece.

Dressed in funky, colorful outfits the group danced with
dynamism to music from the likes of Stevie Wonder.

The male dancers in the troupe added color with their rap-like
moves, while a duo that performed a dance similar to the tango
received applause for their highly charged performance.