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Namarina signals bright future for Indonesian dance scene
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Dancers of Namarina Youth Dance performed 'Aku dan Waktu' (I and Time) at Goethe Haus in Menteng, Central Jakarta, April 22 (JP/Ben Latuihamallo)
Young Indonesians are spending more time in dance studios, practicing their skillful moves and staying healthy.
The young dancers were seen at Namarina Ballet Jazz Fitness studio, rehearsing for a performance in late April. Most of the dancers are members of Namarina Youth Dance (NYD), a semi-professional dance company established 12 years ago in Jakarta. This company is one among the few of its kind in Indonesia.
Maya Tamara, founder, principal, and artistic director of NYD, is working on making the company fully professional in the future. In conjunction with that goal, NYD recently performed the sixth show of its biennial DanceScape series.
Carrying the theme “Dancing for the Future”, the show featured several numbers to a full-house audience at Goethe Haus in Menteng, Central Jakarta.
One of the highlights was Tradikal, a piece choreographed by Dinar Karina, the modern dance director of NYD. Previously performed at the 60th anniversary of Namarina Dance Academy in 2016, Tradikal combines ballet technique with Indonesian dance styles.
Balinese, Betawi, and Minang styles as well as pencak silat are seen incorporated into the dance piece. “Indonesian dance styles go very well with ballet, as there are many arm gestures involved. They perfectly complete ballet that is dominated by movements from the waist and below,” said Dinar to The Jakarta Post.
Another highlight was Aku dan Waktu (I and Time), a contemporary piece created by Namarina resident choreographer, Sussi Anddri. Aku dan Waktu was performed to a new, original live score by Rhythm Salad Music League.
Read also: Dance community reinterprets traditional rituals in contemporary show
Dancing for the Future that features NYD dancers, apprentice, and young dancers from the academy signals a bright future for dance in Indonesia. It is always wise to work with the richness of Indonesian culture for the creation of a fresh art form.
