Laksmi's latest repertoire a crusade against alienation
Laksmi's latest repertoire a crusade against alienation
JAKARTA (JP): It is, at first, only routine, but when routine continuously imprisons someone, alienation happens. As a choreographer, that is what Laksmi Simanjuntak is trying to express in the repertoire inspired by the German art director Xavier Kroetz's Request Konzert.
Laksmi Simanjuntak has choreographed an interpretation of Kroetz's creation. The result is a blending together of theater and dance movements titled One Night in a Craftman's Life. This repertoire is playing regularly every Friday and Saturday evening at Studio Oncor, from Jan. 29 until Feb. 25.
A stage performance is the essence of the life of many people. In this dance Laksmi takes the life of a mask craftsman as an example, Gallis AS. The daily activities of a mask craftsman are not much different from most other people entangled by daily routines. Once in a while there is a restlessness, but apparently not enough to know the mystery of alienation.
This performance is arranged in such a way that we have flashbacks to our own lives. The stage setting shows the figure of a mask craftsman. In the setting a TV is on, the craftsman is watching it. Basic activities like eating and going to the toilet are shown as well as the masks made by the man.
And what is his wife doing? This woman is living between two worlds. On one side she is full of modern attributes but on the other her leg is chained by traditional roots. It is interesting to see, if we are observant, that the choreographer uses a lot of symbols referring to the craftman's wife.
Pipien Putri (acting as the wife) is represented as a moderately modern woman. But still she must wear a piece of cloth wrapped around her body, coming into the room carrying her shoes. She pleats her batik while singing a traditional, Javanese song. It seems the wife is also having her own mad alienation.
The symbols given to the two dancers by Laksmi have special meanings. The violet color of the woman's sampur (dancer's long scarf) is the identity of feminism, which she wants to express. This is also the case when the woman throws salt rocks to symbolize the burden of life. The ending of the show is quite thought provoking. It seems to be requesting the audience to go back to the reality of their lives.
Movements
Right from the start Laksmi asks her audience to give more self interpretation on all the movements of the two players, in the context formed from a daily life of a craftsman. The stage is purposely arranged like a house, complete with TV, dining table and bathroom.
There are no verbal expression by the players. Only occasional sighs and whispers are heard. The only sounds heard are drips of water.
The silence of the performers does not make them boring because many interpretations are offered to the audience through their movements and the masks.
Dance
Laksmi Simanjuntak is one of the few Indonesian choreographers who has brought innovative ideas into the field of dance.
In the early stage of Laksmi's dance career she concentrated on Javanese traditional dances, such as Serimpi and Bedoyo, two dances traditionally performed only in the Keraton.
But times change and culture is never static.
For Laksmi, Bedoyo, as a sacred dance, should adapt to the changing situation. For this reason her performance is still based on the movements of the Bedoyo dance.
Laksmi's opinion is that we should actively pursue new values. She cites the late Martha Graham as an example, a famous American choreographer.
Laksmi not only interprets Bedoyo but also Kroetz. In Kroetz's work the alienation causes a man's suicide. When there is routine beyond a man's power and man does not fight back, he is already dead (powerless). That is the way Laksmi presents her alienation.