Namarina ballet captivates Gedung Kesenian audience

Karen Stingemore, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Swans glided by, storms raged and leprechauns brought magic to the stage of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (GKJ) as part of the Schouwburg IV-2005 festival, where the Namarina dance school performed Dance in Motion Three on Tuesday.

The school was opened in 1956 and is renowned for its innovative and progressive dance: The audience was not left disappointed.

Dance in Motion Three was a compilation of two classical ballet pieces and two more contemporary works.

The first was a classical piece titled Ouverture, choreographed by Rialita Wijaya. The dancers were clad in orange and black and moved gracefully to the sounds of Vivaldi.

Although coordination of the dancers left something to be desired the audience was more wrapped up in the energy of the dance to really take too much notice.

The second dance, Les Danseuses, choreographed by Sussi Anddri, was performed with style and skill and was the most traditional piece of the evening.

The dancers' white, willowy dresses added a surreal quality to the performance and the duos were perfectly synchronized, while the solos were breathtaking.

The backdrop to the set added to the nuance of the performance; it shifted from dark to light as the music shifted from Bach to Vivaldi.

The audience had the feeling of being taken on a journey through four seasons and many moods.

As the dancers bowed their heads and looked woefully out at the audience there was a sense of despair, but that quickly turned to elation as the tempo changed and the dancers smiled and leaped gracefully through the air.

The contemporary piece, titled Mix Sense, had the entire audience tapping their feet to the music's catchy rhythms.

The piece began with three dances in black and silver in front of a background of swirling clouds, moving in perfect timing to the tribal music.

The dance really showcased the athletic prowess of the dancers, with their sharp, fast movements.

A few minutes into the dance another group of performers dressed in red and silver costumes entered and began to move in very showy, Spanish style, but that changed once more as the Irish fiddles began to play.

The dancers moved in line formations similar to those in Riverdance, the Irish dance phenomenon that exploded onto the dance scene in the late 90s.

Choreographer of Mix Sense Dinar Karina was excited by Namarina's performance and pleased with the caliber of the dancing.

"It took a month to prepare the dancers for this performance. The school usually puts on a large production at least once a year," Dinar said.

"I'm really interested in world music, so Mix Sense was inspired by international influences such as Irish music and dance but the movements were mostly derived from classical ballet, although they were mixed with more modern styles and traditional moves from countries like Ireland."

The last dance, Ce-le-brass-ion, also choreographed by Dinar Karina, was an upbeat jazz piece.

Dressed in funky, colorful outfits the group danced with dynamism to music from the likes of Stevie Wonder.

The male dancers in the troupe added color with their rap-like moves, while a duo that performed a dance similar to the tango received applause for their highly charged performance.