Sour note ends this year's performing arts arena

Yusuf Susilo Hartono Contributor Jakarta

Staging a performance, especially of international caliber in Indonesia in 2002, proved difficult and expensive.

The reasons include the difficulty in obtaining funds and sponsors since many companies have gone bankrupt or are in financial trouble due to the economic crisis. In the meantime, raising ticket prices is not an option as even at normal prices, only a few can afford to buy them.

On the other hand, living costs have soared, particularly expenses related to telephone calls, electricity, gas and public transportation -- meaning higher production costs. And the threat of bomb blasts make more people less inclined to go out at night for some entertainment.

But art workers refuse to simply give up.

In order to improve appreciation for art and culture, the Jakarta Arts Council this year conducted a performing arts appreciation program at more than 30 senior high schools across Jakarta, with the assistance of the Ford Foundation. The program was also participated in by [ki] communication along with Teater Koma theater troupe, which staged theatrical training at schools for six months with Sampoerna cigarette company as the sponsor.

A variety of performances were run at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) arts center, the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Playhouse, GKJ), Teater Utan Kayu, Teater Tanah Airku, Bentara Budaya as well as foreign cultural centers like the Japan Foundation, Erasmus Huis, the British Council, Center Culturel Francais and Goethe House and the Goethe Institut.

At the other extreme, festivals costing hundreds of millions of rupiah and more were also successfully staged. The festivals included the Northern Coastal (Pantura) Festival in several cities in West Java, JakArt@2002, the 24th Bali Arts Festival, the Indonesian Dance Festival VI 2002 in Jakarta and the sixth Gedung Kesenian Jakarta International Festival here at GKJ. The last three festivals were of international scale involving participants from foreign countries.

This year, many Indonesian artists also got the chance to present their works abroad, with Boi G. Sakti's choreography piece opening the prestigious Esplanade Theaters on the Bay in Singapore. Contemporary musician Otto Sidharta presented his "weeping music" during the commemoration of the Dutch East Indies Trading Company (VOC) anniversary in the Netherlands, while Putu Wijaya's Teater Mandiri staged War in Kyoto, Japan.

A closer look at these performances and festivals shows us two important things. First, more cross-cultural collaborative works, and efforts to bring the latest issues to the surface.

Performing arts expert Sal Murgiyanto of the Jakarta Arts Institute, who is also one of these collaborative efforts' pioneers, said such work, despite constraints and challenges, would help strengthen mutual understanding. Collaborative works, he said, would help one learn that by understanding others, one will understand himself or herself more.

"If we do it (collaborative works) carefully, on the basis of serious effort to search for the significance and strengthen mutual understanding, then it will be very useful," Sal said, adding that cross-cultural works were not always conducted with mutual respect.

Some of the cross-culture collaborative performances were, for instance, the cooperation between choreographer Boi G. Sakti and dancers from Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia; another collaborative work included the piece presented at the International Dance Festival where Janis Brenner of the U.S. presented his piece after spending several years teaching, observing and cooperating with Indonesian dancers and choreographers.

A closer look at these festivals also shows that various performing artworks have tried to bring the present situation related to social, political, economic, security, cultural and historical issues to the surface.

A dance piece by Deddy Luthan, titled Ketika Anggrek Hitam Berbunga (When the Black Orchid Blooms), presents the life of the Dayak people in Kalimantan after their forest has been ravaged by fire. Teater Tetas used shadow puppetry idioms in its play titled A Child is Crying, while Maya Tamara's ballet piece Jelita (Beautiful) used various traditional dance movements to picture women's struggle to balance life.

Though many find greater freedom to stage their works in the era of reform, this year closes on a sour note: the cancellation of Ratna Sarumpaet's play Alia, Luka Serambi Mekah (Alia, Wound on Veranda of Mecca), which was scheduled to be screened on state television station TVRI.

Just like old times, no clear explanation was given, although it was reportedly canceled at the behest of the Indonesian Military, which said the play -- focusing on a rape victim in Aceh -- would anger the people in Aceh and could harm the peace process in the province.

And as Ratna vented her disappointment, her fellow artists did not respond as expected.

"We don't realize that the threat is present. None of us have sharpened our sensitivity. It was shackled and shut down for more than 30 years, and when it opened we just drifted away and let it remain dull," Ratna said.

So, how will the performing arts fare in coming years? Only time will tell.