Who's who among the performeres

Dance, music and theater are all on the event-packed menu for the 4th Art Summit Indonesia 2004 International Festival on Contemporary Performances & Visual Arts. So who are the performers?

* I Wayan Sadra (Indonesia)

Considered one of the most dynamic emerging modern composers, the Bali-born musician has performed his unique and rich compositions around the world. For the festival, the 51-year-old composer will present Otot Kawat Balung Besi (Wire Muscle Iron Bone), Beringin Kurung (Caged Banyan Tree) and Daily. The works have been staged before; Otot Kawat, for instance, was staged at the De Ijsbreker, Gaudeamus Muzik Centrum, Amsterdam (1997) and West Front Music, Vancouver (2004).

* Hartati (Indonesia)

After scoring success with works like Membaca Meja (Reading the Table, 2002) and Sayap Yang Patah (the Broken Wing, 2001), the 38-year-old choreographer will highlight the plight of women, particularly their bargaining power in between traditionalism and modernism in The Self Rites: Ode for Women.

Born in Jakarta but raised in West Sumatra, the graduate of Jakarta Arts Institute's School of Dance is experienced in many dance forms, from traditional and contemporary dances of West Sumatra -- learning under late choreographer Gusmiati Suid of Gumarang Sakti Dance Company and her son Boi G. Sakti -- as well as ballet and modern dance forms.

* DAM Theater (Japan)

Set up in 1986 by director Hiroshi Ohashi and a group of actors, DAM, aims to create a performance that is more than just modern theater but also showcases adventure and the unknown. In doing so, it experiments and questions the meaning of contemporary art. Ohashi has produced and directed more than 900 works, including collaborative pieces.

For the festival, DAM will stage Aruku (Walking), a theatrical poetry that highlights basic human movements.

* Dindon WS - Teater Kubur (Indonesia)

Rising to prominence by winning the award at the Jakarta Theater Festival in 1985 with Arifin C. Noer's play AA.II.UU, director Dindon will put his memorable play Sirkus Anjing (Dog Circus), which premiered at Bandung Institute of Technology in 1990, back on stage for the art summit.

* Magali and Didier Mulleras Dance Company (France)

Invisible, a blend of dance, images and multimedia, will be the highlight of French choreographers Magali Viguier-Mulleras and Didier Mulleras. They are performing here as part of their foreign tour of Asia. The Mulleras -- dubbed among the most important explorers in digital art -- are part of a new generation of artists who set themselves free of the established styles. Their curiosity produces new dances in ever-changing settings.

* Elly Luthan (Indonesia)

The dancer-turn-choreographer will explore the plight of Acehnese women, once again taking women's issues as her source of inspiration. The 52-year-old dancer, who learned classical Javanese dance from the age of four, has produced notable works, including Kunthi Pinilih, which was part of the Muziek Theater Amsterdam.

* Yudhi Ahmad -- Teater Garasi (Indonesia)

Founded in December 1993 as a campus-based group by then students of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, the group became an independent theater group committed to being a "Laboratory for Theater Creations". For the art summit, it will stage the third version of its Waktu Batu (Milestone) theater project.

* Tuhonohono - Gillian Whitehead (New Zealand)

Comprising six musicians from the Pakeha tribe and several Maoris, the ensemble will present the best works of renowned composer Gillian Karawe Whitehead. She has been recognized both in New Zealand and Australia, with her works exploring instruments, texts and vocals with themes taken from Maori and Pakeha traditions. The composer has written over 60 compositions, of which 43 have been staged in two or more countries.

* Tommi Kitti Dance Company (Finland)

Choreographer-dancer Kitti is regarded as one of his homeland's best contemporary dancers, with 40 works during a career spanning over three decades. The dance company was set up in 2000, with notable repertoires comprising an evening length performance and short ensemble.

* The Tam Dance Company (Korea)

Set up by a graduate of Ewha Women University in 1980, the dance company made its debut performance the following year. Known for its artistic style, the company started to use its own repertoire in 1990. It has won many awards in Korea, including for choreography and performance at the Seoul Performing Arts Festival.

* Dieter Mack - Ensemble Surplus (Germany)

Dieter Mack and James Avery Ensemble Surplus will present several works, including Taro (1987), featuring two piano, percussion, clarinet bass and flute; Strange (1984) with violin and piano; and Moon (1990) with clarinet bass and English horn.

The show will be a nostalgic moment for Mack, who set up Anggur Jaya Balinese gamelan ensemble at Freiburg Music University in 1982, shortly after a year-long stay in Bali. He also toured Southeast Asia in 1988.

* Robert Hylton-Urban Classicism (England)

A fascinating mix of jazz dance, hip-hop, the capoeira martial art as well contemporary and classical dances is promised by this dance company, commended for "first-class visuals and thoughtfully sculpted group headstands" by the Daily Telegraph. Under the direction of Hylton, who has danced for numerous dance companies (and did a music video for George Michael), the company is scheduled to stage Physical Elements, comprising two new works and a short film.

* Kim Itoh and the Glorious Future (Japan)

The dancer-choreographer first danced with Anzu Furukawa and Dance Butter Tokio in 1987, before leaving the company to pursue better career options and touring Japan and Europe. He then set up Kim Itoh and the Glorious Future in 1995, showcasing works like Dead and Alive and Screaming Garden. Itoh, who was recently awarded the Shuji Terayama Award for his choreography at the First Asahi Performing Arts Prize (2002), will stage Dead and Alive and F.T.

* Black Sky White Theater - Marcella Soltan (Russia)

Reality and myth are at the center of the troupe's Berthrand's Toys, which is scheduled to be staged at the end of the art summit. The group was established in 1988 by Marcella Soltan, who is known as one of leading artists in European physical theater, and Dimitri Aryupin. The group has performed in many countries, including in Poland, where Soltan was awarded best actress at Contact 97 Festival in Torun. -- Stevie Emilia