Virgin Mary, Madonna inspire dance

Virgin Mary, Madonna inspire dance

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Would you dare to compare the holy Virgin Mary with glamor
celebrity Madonna? It could be interesting, especially if it is
presented in the form of a dance.

Four artists from Surakarta will be trying their hand at it,
or rather their feet, and will stage a dance piece titled
Pasamuan Maria dan Madonna (the Communion of Maria and Madonna)
at Surakarta Cultural park in the Central Java town on Feb. 28.

The choreography, which will bring together the two icons, is
an interesting concept, as it unites two different ways of life
while trying to seek their similarities.

"We do not have the slightest intention of disparaging the
Virgin Mary. Although I'm a Buddhist, I have admired, even
idolized, Virgin Mary for a long time," said artist Suprapto
Suryodarmo at his Lemah Putih art studio in Surakarta.

Apart from Suprapto, participating artists include dancer Eko
Supriyanto, musician Dedek Wahyudi and lighting technician Tria
Vita.

Eko Supriyanto, who was one of Madonna's dancers during her
recent tour, said the dance would try to expose the human side
and positive aspects of these two icons as both of them have
shaped the world.

"I really admire Madonna. From accompanying her on her tour, I
saw that outside her glamourous celebrity life, she is a genius
and a hard worker. She pays attention to other people and knows a
lot of things about life," Eko said.

"That's why I accepted Suprapto's offer to take part in this
performance right away. I'm really interested in this line of
work, and this is a challenge. Can we present an artist alongside
a holy figure? This is a real challenge," said Eko, who will
express his ideas through a contemporary dance piece done Madonna
style.

Musician Dedek Wahyudi, who will perform in Belgium in March
2003, said the dance piece might cause a controversy.

"I don't think we have to concentrate on the negative aspects
alone. As a Catholic, I want to praise the Virgin Mary in an
artistic way," he said.

From his experiences, he said that many religious-related
performances had both their pros and cons. "But I don't think we
have to worry because we started this with good intentions," he
said.

Dancer Suprapto Suryodarmo said he had long thought of staging
a dance piece on the Virgin Mary. It started in 1988 when he
first learned about the mother of Jesus in an old church in
London. Since then, he felt restless in finding a way to glorify
her.

"In praising her, I cannot do it the way Catholics do it. I
have my own way of admiring and worshiping her," Suprapto said.

His admiration of her, he said, not only came from the fact
that she is a simple person with a strong will, but also because
she's determined. "Can you imagine how sad it must have been for
her to witness her own son being tortured and crucified right in
front of her eyes? Still, she showed resolution and patience and
it is her character that remains in my mind," he said.

In showing his adoration, Suprapto will bring the figure of
Virgin Mary closer to the figure of Goddess Sri, the goddess of
prosperity in Javanese culture.

"I will be presenting the figure of Goddess Sri as she seems
to have been forgotten even though she is believed to bring
fertility and prosperity. This was also the case when Virgin Mary
was abandoned when Jesus was crucified. We will explore her
solitariness in sorrow through this dance. This is relevant
especially given the fact that many Catholics stay away from the
church today."

The four participating artists, however, refused to label the
show a collaboration. Instead, they prefer to call it a communion
or paying their respects in their own way in the form of a
contemporary and traditional dancing, music and lighting.