Women choreographers meet to promote art

Women choreographers meet to promote art

JAKARTA (JP): Although dance is often considered a feminine
activity because of its emotive nature, there exists a
disquieting paradox of the lack of Indonesian female
coreographers.

This problem is addressed in a three-day dance event, Temu
Koreografer Wanita (Women Choreographers Meet), which is being
organized at the Teater Arena, Taman Budaya Surakarta, Central
Java, to promote dances by women choreographers.

Four choreographers will showcase their works each day. They
come from Bandung, West Java, Yogyakarta, Padang, West Sumatra,
Surabaya, East Java, Surakarta, Banjarnegara, Central Java,
Jakarta, and Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi.

The event is organized by Mataya Performing Art Network in
cooperation with Taman Budaya Surakarta. The organizers consider
it an important milestone because only a few women have
participated in great performances by both national and
international dancers in events at art schools nationwide in the
past five years.

Many of the few female graduates of art schools are forced to
take administrative jobs. Organizers claim that many of those who
do work as choreographers have to give up their careers after
marrying as their husbands are not supportive of their careers.

The festival is expected to find a solution to the patriarchal
bias in local dance.

Director General of Culture Edi Sedyawati, top choreographers
including Gusmiati Suid, Bagong Kussudiardja and Sardono W.
Kusumo, the chairwoman of the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta management
board, Farida Oetoyo, and Sal Moergiyanto of the Jakarta Arts
Institute are expected to attend.

More information is available by contacting Taman Budaya
Surakarta, Tel. (0271) 635414, or at mataya@Solonet.co.id. (ylt)