Sour note ends this year's performing arts arena

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.