Miroto dances to rhythm of his heart

Miroto dances to rhythm of his heart

Suherdjoko, Contributor, Yogyakarta

His deep devotion to dance has brought Martinus Miroto fame and
fortune.

At the age of 44, he is a celebrated dancer and choreographer
who performs at festivals both locally and internationally -- no
longer at wedding parties or village celebrations as he used to
in his youth.

And his achievements have recently earned him the trust of
Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who has asked him to take on
a rare task: to work on Arjuna, a dance based on a character from
the Mahabharata epic.

"Arjuna symbolizes the life of a man who is quite aware of his
existence, so the choreography does not just tell about Arjuna as
a figure," Miroto said.

The dance is still being choreographed and no exact date has
been announced for a performance.

Born to the late Setyo Martono and Marwiyah, Miroto started to
learn how to dance at the age of seven from dance instructor
Slamet Asmorohadi. At that time, he was teaching new,
contemporary dances based on the classics.

He said he studied dance because he enjoyed watching other
children dance.

"My first show in public was shortly after I joined the dance
class. At that time, I was asked to perform Karapan Sapi
(Maduranese traditional cow race) dance during an Independence
Day celebration in the village," Miroto recalled during an
interview at his home in Turusan cluster, Banyuraden, which is
located on the western outskirts of Yogyakarta.

He continued attending his dance class, which later led him to
enroll in the SMKI arts vocational school after he graduated from
junior high school. There, he learned many of the classical
Javanese dances. At the same time, he also took a modern dance
class at Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja in Bantul.

He used to appear mainly at wedding parties, mostly performing
the Karonsih, a romantic dance performed with a partner. He
acquired the nickname the Enthit dancer as he regularly performed
with the accompaniment of traditional keroncong (music with
Indian and Portuguese influences) in a song titled Enthit, which
was popularized by noted singer Waljinah.

His persistent and impressive performances caught the eye of
dance aficionado Bagiyono, who awarded Miroto a scholarship to
study dance at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ). Unfortunately,
he could only study there a year, mostly due to difficulties he
encountered while following modern dance instruction in class.

Being a Javanese dancer for most of his life, Miroto found it
difficult to immediately follow the instructions in his modern
dance class, making enormous mistakes in the process.

"I decided to return to Yogyakarta," Miroto said.

He then continued his studies at the Indonesian Arts Institute
(ISI) in Yogyakarta and graduated in 1986. He is presently a
lecturer at ISI's dance school.

Lessons from IKJ made him aware of the difference between
classical and modern dances. He said the difference between the
two could be seen from watching the movements.

In Javanese dance, he said, its trademark moves are expressed
through ulap-ulap (darting eye movements accompanied by hand
gestures near the eyes to add emphasis), while in modern dance,
the same movements can be done standing still.

"In this case, the classic dance standard should not pose a
problem for someone learning a modern dance," said Miroto, who is
renowned for his fine blend of modern Javanese and Western dance
movements in his choreography.

"It (blending traditional and modern movements) gives me the
energy to continue my search," he said.

IKJ not only taught him the difference between modern and
classical dances, but also gave him a chance to meet his guru,
noted dancer and choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo.

Miroto said Sardono had helped open up his mind as well as his
understanding of dancers being just human beings. He was also
intrigued by Sardono's idea to express one's soul through refined
dance movements, which should not always be in the form of
classical Javanese dances. He also learned from Sardono how to
improvise movements in such a way as to yield a sense of depth.

His strong will to study and learn dance made it hard for
Miroto, who launched his professional career with his debut in
Sampah (Garbage) at the Young Choreographer Festival in 1986, to
feel satisfied with his accomplishments.

He furthered his studies at the Folkwang School and Pina
Bausch Wuppertal Dance Theatre in Germany, before acquiring
a master's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles,
U.S.A.

His overseas performances include: Stravinsky-Bijbelse
Stukken, a collaboration with Peter Sellars of the Nederlandse
Opera staged at the Cane-Amsterdam Theater and Amsterdam Music
Center in 1999; Asunder presented in New York and Chicago, a
collaboration with Yin Mei in New York in 2001; a collaboration
with Angela Liong in Singapore in 2002; and performances at the
Dancing Shadows World Music Theater Festival in the Netherlands
and Belgium in 2002.

He has proved himself at home by winning Sultan Hamengkubuwono
X's trophy as the best refined dance performer in the classical
Javanese dance championship in 1996.