Workshop strives to build a sense of community

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Megamendung, Bogor

"What is acting?"

Stage director/actor Sosiawan Leak threw out the question to open an acting class for some 100 young Buddhists here recently.

One by one an answer was thrown back, from a hesitating "mmm... pretending to be someone else?" to a lengthy analysis which started with "it's an arts, an expression, a movement...."

Moving on to another class, dancer Takako Leen from Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia (EKI) dance company instructed the young people to do some mopping movements, but with joy and wholeheartedly.

Meanwhile, in the singing class, a teenage boy with bleached blond hair was asked to come to the front by singing mentor Fajar to hum the musical note scale. Despite his expression of a total pro, it rendition was excruciatingly off key.

Held inside the complex of Sadaparibhuta Vihara, the classes were part of the annual youth retreat for members of Pandita Sabha Buddha Dharma Indonesia, a foundation boasting some 130,000 members of the Nichiren Syosyu sect spread across 14 provinces.

Titled Mimpi -- an acronym for Menggapai Inspirasi Merdeka Putra/i Indonesia, or reaching the independent inspirations of Indonesian youth -- the week-long retreat was aimed at educating young people to be brave and aim as high as possible in their dreams.

Mimpi has a basic theme each year, such as a school or non- governmental organization (NGO), where young people get to formulate an ideal school or establish an NGO.

This year's theme was the "golden kid", referring to those who will make it on the merit of their own skills and hard work, instead of with their parents facilitating their way.

According to abbot Rusdy Rukmarata, the theme was tied to materialism and the instant gratification culture of today.

"Parents want their children to be smart, highly educated and have multiple skills. It's not necessary for the children's good, because ultimately that's all about getting as much money as possible," said Rusdy, who is also EKI's founder and choreographer.

He said the children might be successful and wealthy later on, but the joy of living would be missing from their lives.

The search for TV singing idols is the perfect example of the phenomena, he said, where people are willing to take any measures possible in the pursuit of fame and wealth -- even if it means embarrassing themselves in front of a national television audience.

Taking from all the idol search hype, this year's Mimpi picked performing arts to support its theme.

"The challenge is to show them that doing arts is not just about money. Even if it is, it comes through hard work. But most importantly, we want to stimulate the pleasure of doing it, the joy of imagination, dreaming ... that money isn't everything," he said.

The skills taught are for performing arts and related disciplines. Aside from the aforementioned three classes, young people could pick comedy, acrobatics, wushu martial art, pantomime, special effects and property. In addition, there are workshops on make-up, showmanship, artist management and emceeing.

Teachers and speakers included singing guru Bertha, promoter Adrie Subono, poet Sitok Srengenge and musician Erwin Gutawa.

Some 400 Buddhist young people, from junior high school students to university high school graduates, participated in the event, where at the end they must perform in front of audience and the best performance will be given award.

Aside from participants from the provinces, there were foreigners as well, with sect members from Malaysia and Singapore.

Malaysian Wong Ray Vin, 17, has participated five years in a row.

"We have a similar activity in Malaysia, but it's more simple and shorter, only in three days. Here, it's something different. It's more fun," said Wong, who flew from Selangor along with 18 fellow Buddhists.

There is more to it than just hanging out with his peers and having fun, Wong said.

"The list of activities are impressive, and the rules are good. We get to discipline ourselves, and we learn some skills, you know, like singing," he said, on the sidelines of singing class.

Held since the 1970s, the retreat now has a large group of alumni, including Tan Kok Siong, who headed the committee of this year's event.

Tan recalled the benefits of the retreat in helping him to be braver and more open minded.

"The activity also does not stop with the event, as we monitor the participants afterward so that they can contribute something in their respective provinces. It apparently works, because for last year's theme of NGOs, they really implemented it in their provinces."

He sensed, however, that participants were becoming more individualistic and less enthusiastic in engaging in group activities each year.

"They're actually more daring. But it seems that they lack social skills, even the participants from Jakarta. It's like they want to know other people, and they want others to pay attention to them, but they don't know how to do it and often are too proud. So, it's a bit conflicting," Tan said.

The social awkwardness perhaps resulted from overprotective families, especially in Jakarta, which may be the result of the high crime rate and drug abuse, he said.

Rusdy said a lack of social activities that engage large groups of people were also to blame.

"Technology gets more sophisticated so that you can do everything by yourself, like watching movies. That's why we chose performing arts, because it's communal arts," Rusdy said.

Through the arts, he added, hopefully there would develop a sense of togetherness without neglecting respect for each individual, "because the arts teaches us to respect differences".