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.