Sardono to showcase `Nobody's Body'

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"December in the year 2002; the number two begins it, and the number two ends it. Nothing changes, we are still in a milieu of terror and horror," said noted Indonesian dancer Sardono W. Kusumo in a media conference here.

An artist's reflection on the year gone bad, and typical of his profession, Sardono further expressed this meditation through his creation titled Nobody's Body, first performed during the opening of Singapore's Esplanade in October, and will open here on Dec. 29.

"It was inspired by events happening in the region, but mostly by the Bali bombing," he said, asserting the production was everything he had perceived of the happenings around him throughout the year.

Focusing on the human body, with its complex system of nerves and muscles, Sardono uses it as a metaphor for Asia's tropical rainforest ecosystem.

One of the props used will be a traditional wok, which Sardono used as a metaphor for survival.

"The wok is a utensil for food, but because of its shape it could also suddenly be small boats. It could be a metaphor for people living in their own little spaces, isolated," he explained.

In a review of the October performance at the Esplanade, Stephanie Burridge of The Business Times said the performance "explored ambiguities, tensions, uncertainties and dilemmas of the contemporary world". She described the performance as "powerful" and "pessimistic".

With Sardono as choreographer and noted musician Toni Prabowo as music director, Nobody's Body not only explored the human body, but also different sounds and music that have emanated from different cultures of the world, such as from Tibet, Siberia and the Beijing opera.

"It will be an interesting aesthetic experience, visually dramatic, with some acrobatics," Sardono promised, adding that he hoped viewers would interpret for themselves the feelings invoked by the performance on stage.

Nobody's Body will be performed on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30, 2002, at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, Jl Gedung Kesenian 1, Central Jakarta, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost Rp 35,000 for students and Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000 for the public. For more information please call Mulyono on 3808283.