'Sri Bumi' satires sad reality
Kartika Bagus C., The Jakarta Post, Surakarta
Living in Indonesia is confusing. It's said the country is rich and famed for its green rice fields but the facts show it to be the other way around: We don't have enough rice to feed the people and have to import it from other countries. Ironic.
The ironic situation was brought to stage by Surakarta's choreographer Mugiyono and his Mugidance group through his latest dance piece, titled Sri Bumi (Sri's Land).
The dance creation, which was performed at Bong open stage at Surakarta's Cultural Park on Monday, is scheduled to be performed at the Japan Foundation in Central Jakarta this Friday, May 10.
According to Mugiyono, the figure Sri in his choreography reflects the present situation of the country, where nature has lost out, resulting in disharmonious living. "Now, it's even hard for us to belt out songs that praise the country's beauty," he said.
Known as an active artist in producing contemporary pieces, Mugiyono, 34, and his group usually blend traditional values into the present context. In the end, the group's performance became a display of ancient tradition with modern context.
By blending dance, modern theater, puppetry and a touch of humor, his latest choreography was not difficult to interpret by ordinary people.
In the new dance piece, the choreographer, visually, also tries to include a mask dance element in representing the idea of "pest" and "intruder" into the harmony of nature.
Born in Klaten, Central Java in 1976, Mugiyono, who was born into a puppet master's family, has choreographed many artistic creations, an interest that he started in his childhood.
Dance lecturer at Surrey Roehampton University in London Dr. Alessandra Lopez y Roso Iyer found Mugiyono's work was like Marchel Marceau's and The Italian Commedia dell' Arte mime.
"Such comparisons might help to understand the characterization, even if the background is not known, but whatever resemblance there might be with some Western forms, it is a case of convergence, not of direct influence," the lecturer stated.
The choreographer, who won the Best Performer Creative Dance Award in 1992 and Best Art Dance Award in 1993 in Surakarta, was also involved in some of the works by noted dancer-choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo, whom he first knew in 1994.
The works included Opera Diponegoro (1995), Passage Through the Gong (1996), Karmawibangga (1999), Soloensis (1999), Ziarah Ragawi (Physical Journey, 1999) and Rock Koridor (Rock Corridor, 2000).