Modest festival showcases quality pieces for art lovers

Modest festival showcases quality pieces for art lovers

By Stevie Emilia and Yudha Kartohadiprodjo

JAKARTA (JP): Dances and music performed by renowned artists
at the Indonesian Art Summit II have been able to help some
Jakartans forget the rat race of the economic crisis.

Even though this year's summit is less glamourous than its
predecessor in 1995, held in conjunction with the country's 50th
anniversary, its performances have been wowing audiences with
their quality, enhanced with philosophical views and special
techniques.

Initially, there was fear that holding such a festival when
many people are struggling to meet their daily needs, not to
mention the country's political and economic turmoil, would be
unwelcome.

But, so far at least, such reservations have proven baseless.
No protests have been held against the festival and audience
halls have been brimming with people.

The organizing committee's secretary, Saini Kosim, said most
of the performances have been filled to capacity. "I don't have
the figures, but most of the seats have been filled," he told The
Jakarta Post.

But repeated changes to the summit's performance schedule has
caused some inconveniences to many planning to watch the shows.

For instance, Rendra's Suku Naga (Dragon Tribe), which was
scheduled for Sept. 22 and Sept. 23, was moved to Sept. 29 and
Sept. 30. The play was to replace the Egyptian theater group El-
Warsha, which canceled its performances in the last minute.

Saini has apologized for any inconveniences caused by the ever
changing schedule, saying it had been, nonetheless, necessary.

"We printed the schedule before the summit started for
promotional purposes and to raise funds, but later on, we had to
make some adjustments due to artist requests and other matters,"
he said.

For instance, Rendra could not perform as earlier scheduled
because he had just returned from Korea, where he had staged his
play. "He wanted to have more time to prepare for the summit,"
Saini said.

He praised the cooperation and understanding of the festival's
foreign participants. "None of them have complained. But I still
apologize in case there's been something wrong. They're very
cooperative and understanding to our situation," Saini said.

A lack of promotion has also affected the summit.

"I don't know what this festival is all about," said Made,
sitting with his girlfriend at the Taman Ismail Marzuki cineplex
on the summit's opening night.

He seemed more interested in watching a popular movie on the
big screen than being at the cultural event. But he added that he
was not sure what the summit was for because he had never heard
about the event.

Since the opening of the summit last week, four renowned
artists have performed for Jakarta' art lovers.

Gusmiati Suid's choreography in the summit's opening, Api
Dalam Sekam (Tinderbox), captivated viewers with her dancers'
dynamic performance.

Dancer Linda Hoemar Abidin, who was in the audience, praised
the performance, saying the choreography was esthetically
pleasing, though lacked a bit in emotion.

"Some of the dancers lacked some technique, such as
breathing...," she told the Post.

But she said, however, the piece could be considered as a good
representation of contemporary Indonesian performing arts. "Yes,
I'm proud to tell foreigners about the performance."

Another performer, composer Alvin Lucier from the U.S.,
stunned viewers with his "extraordinary" piece, Music for Voices
and Gamelan Instruments, exploring another side of gamelan
instruments.

The Japanese experimental dance of Butoh has also been
featured in the summit with Yukio Waguri and his dance group
Kohzenza performing The Wedding on the Field at the Taman Ismail
Marzuki arts center, while noted young composer Toni Prabowo
presented four compositions at the Jakarta Playhouse.

Apart from music and dance performances, a two-day dialog on
the problems of multiculturalism and exploration of local sources
featuring local and international experts was also held at the
Alia Hotel on Jl. Cikini Raya, Central Jakarta.