Local dance films have long way to go

Local dance films have long way to go

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In the midst of confusion over the appropriate definition of a
"dance film" among participating directors and choreographers,
the country's first dance film festival wrapped up last week with
three home-grown films taking the top prizes.

Three local dance films, Of lilies, How They Grow directed by
Jakarta-based director Faozan Rizal, Tamansari Mongso Rendeng
(Rainy Season in Tamansari) by Agus Yuniarso of Yogyakarta and
Senandung Kalianyar (The Song of Kalianyar) from Surakarta
director Philipus N. Tri Setyo were selected as films that best
captured the collaboration between dance choreography and film
directing.

The three winning movies were selected from 14 participating
films by a four-member panel of judges, which included New York-
based producer Rhoda Grauer and Sydney-based curator Erin
Brannigan.

Of Lilies tells the story of how a flower grows in grains of
sand, while Senandung chronicles the life of homeless children,
all told through the movement of dancers.

Tamansari, meanwhile was a sprawling film aimed at
reconstructing a romantic memory in Tamansari, a cultural
heritage site near the Sultan's Palace in Yogyakarta.

However, the three winning movies, if put alongside scores of
foreign dance films which were also screened during the three-day
festival revealed a striking lack of imagination among local
dance filmakers.

Tamansari, which clocks in at 80 minutes was a shoddy
documentary of a dance performance which happened to be staged at
the ancient site, while the dance work itself was not destined to
be a cinematic work in the first place.

Three cameras alternatingly took the shots of dancers
performing waltz, flamenco and traditional Javanese dances staged
inside the ancient park in the intercises of the park's yellowing
walls and the throng of bystanders who were oblivious to the fact
a film production was underway.

The film score, which was performed by live musicians
stationed at various spots in the park, only give an obscure
sonic background to the film. The mix of flamenco, classical
music and traditional Javanese instruments (Gamelan) sounded as
if they were played from a distance.

The film also highlighted the ambiguity in the definition of
dance films as earlier raised by a number of local dance
filmakers during the festival, whether they had to focus on the
whole film or just the choreographed dance performance.

"What is a dance film basically? Is it just a straightforward
documentation of dance or a work where the choreographer is also
the director?...If that is the case then it will be difficult (to
watch)," Agus told a roundtable discussion held in between film
screenings.

While local directors are still grappling with the definition
of dance film, foreign dance filmakers already excel in their use
of the medium.

Two dance films from English choreographer Robert Hylton, The
Jaffaman and Two sugar with my hip hop...please were shining
examples of how dance films could be appreciated as regular
feature films.

The Jaffaman, a futurist dance film which tells the story of a
character which keeps on dancing through the mean streets of
life, could easily be mistaken for a music video from any hip hop
artists for its bright colors and fast-paced editing, not to
mention the use of special effects.

In Two sugar, the film score is as much an attraction as the
images. Hip Hop and Jazz tunes were superbly mixed with turntable
scratch and an infectious piano line that dictate the film's
progression.

Local dance filmakers apparently went home with a lot of
homework to do.