Modern dance tries to dig up human character

Modern dance tries to dig up human character

By Carla Bianpoen

JAKARTA (JP): Contemporary Indonesian dance appears to seek
inspiration in age-old myths and legends which have been handed
down from generation to generation.

The wayang is one such form that has existed in Indonesia
since the dawn of history. It was an indigenous religious ritual,
usually held at night. Such rituals were mostly held to worship
God, but also to relay the stories of ancestral heroes.

A particular feature of these tales which were later blended
with the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabarata, is their set of
values related to the fundamentals of the human condition. Rich
in symbolic meaning, and universal in nature, the wayang has
become a timeless source of inspiration.

Preceding the Burning of Sita, to be staged at Graha Bakti
Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center on Oct. 20, 1994, is a
contemporary Indonesian dance based on lyrics inspired by the
story of Rama and Sita in the Ramayana epic.

Using Bahasa Indonesia, the lyrics written by Goenawan Mohamad
relay the subtle moments of love, the emerging doubt on Rama's
part and resignation on Sita's part, followed by an intolerable
struggle of the soul wrestling between apprehension and love. For
some people it could well be a reflection of the dilemma in which
a ruler finds himself when having to choose between what he
thinks and what others advise him to do. For feminists, the act
of burning refers to the customary vulnerable status of women and
the usual domination by males. In fact it is a reflection of the
male-female relationship.

Story line

After 13 years of being imprisoned by Rahwana, Sita is back
with her consort Prince Rama in Alengka and life returns to
normal. At least, so it seems. But rumors whispered among the
people of Alengka start questioning Sita's faithfulness to Rama.
Could she possibly have escaped the power of the man who held her
captive for almost 13 years? One day in the Argasoka gardens,
when Rama and Sita are enjoying their togetherness, the sounds of
such insinuations become louder and louder. At first Rama is
shocked. He has not had the faintest doubt about Sita's
faithfulness. The struggle between love and doubt commences.
Increasing doubt grows into agony, and Sita even becomes doubtful
of herself. In a circling debate with his inner self, and with
Sita, his beloved but suspected consort, nothing is clear
anymore. As the lyric reads "what actually is loyalty and what is
disloyalty, what is pure and what is not." To get rid of this
agonizing uncertainty, and to rid himself of the embarrassment
before his people, Rama decides that Sita must be burnt. With
great dignity Sita throws herself into the raging flames, with
Rama's last words still reflecting his dilemma: "But I love you,
don't you die now in the midst of non-understanding."

The cast

I Ketut Rina and Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum take the roles
of Rama and Sita. They are two dancers who have had long personal
experience with traditional as well as contemporary dance.

I Ketut Rina, who is the choreographer taking the role of Rama
in the Preceding the Burning of Sita, received his first dance
instruction when he was only four years old. His teacher was
Sardono W. Kusumo. He was still a boy when Sardono selected him
to feature in Sardono's then controversial creation Cak Tarian
Rina. A graduate of the STSI Art School in Denpasar, Bali, Rina
has come a long way. He began performing abroad at the age of
eight in countries such as France, Italy and Germany. His
performances have also been enjoyed in Malaysia, Singapore,
Brunei, Japan, Vietnam, Canada and Iran. In addition, he has been
trained as a dalang. Today I Ketut Rina continues to explore the
vast world of Indonesian traditional art in pursuit of an ever
increasing contribution to contemporary Indonesian dance.

The second dancer is Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum. An
accomplished dancer of various Indonesian dances, including the
Gending Sriwijaya from South Sumatra, the Serimpi and Bedoyo from
Java, and the Legong from Bali, Restu has participated in
national and international performances led by the widely
acclaimed Sardono W. Kusumo. She also participated in Panji Sepuh
which was successfully staged in Indonesia and Australia.

Cooperation

A remarkable feature is the concept which has brought
together a variety of players, who in spite of their different
cultural backgrounds, interests and different ways of expression,
have succeeded in complementing each other towards the
accomplishment of innovative creation. Goenawan Mohamad, whose
book Sidelines is being launched in Australia, has written
beautiful lyrics, marking the atmosphere of love and intense
sadness. Goenawan's cooperation with Tonny Prabowo has been
instrumental in giving direction to shaping the mood.

Tonny, whose compositions have accompanied local and
international performances and installations of traditional as
well as contemporary nature, has come up with a composition which
is fitting in all its simplicity. What is more, he has made it in
such a way that it allows participation of traditional musicians
usually supporting the wayang shadow performances of the Radio
Republik Indonesia.

Nyak Ina Raseuki, who has a Masters in ethnomusicology from
the University of Wisconsin, is a key element in this. She sings
the lyrics with her beautiful voice, bringing in the nuances of
joy and intense sadness, as Rama and Sita express their feelings
in their own style.

Most innovatively is how I Ketut Rina has worked with Restu
Imansari and the other members of the team to synchronize and
bring all the different elements in one impressive choreography
of contemporary innovation. For the audience, it will hardly be
an issue whether the dance sprouted from Javanese, Balinese or
any other culture. There will just be the image of an Indonesian
contemporary dance. The producer of the dance is Adilla Soewarmo.

The dance is one of four performances which will be staged at
the Graha Bakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki on Oct. 20, 1994. It
is part of a five-day dance festival in which local and
international dance troupes participate. The international dance
performances take place at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta.