Spanish dancer takes on domestic violence

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 11/07/2007 5:14 PM  |  Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Spanish choreographer and dancer Monica Runde dramatizes domestic violence in her home country in her latest work, which had its world premier at the Jakarta Playhouse on Wednesday.

Runde's three-act Social Tales, which will play until Wednesday (today), features Dacil Gonzales, Joaquin Hidalgo, and Gustavo Martin with music by Pedro Navarrete.

Social Tales tells the stories of two couples who are trapped in unhappy marriages dogged by psychological violence and alcoholism.

Runde said she picked the theme because she was concerned with how domestic violence debased women's dignity and their basic rights.

""Sixty-nine women died in Spain last year in domestic violence cases while the police have recorded 57 similar cases this year,"" Runde said in an interview on the sidelines of rehearsals on Monday.

""The problem is everywhere ... the East and West worlds are all masculine. Women cannot have their own freedom.""

She said she expected her show to move the audience, to raise their awareness and to encourage people to stand up against domestic violence.

""I want people to fight against domestic violence and I believe I can convey such a message through dance.""

Runde said she did not create the dance to address a certain audience and did no research on local attitudes before going on with the show.

""I had no idea about the Indonesian audience and how they would respond to my work,"" said Runde.

""... I simply believe in the power of dance, it has no language barrier, people across the world will be able to catch the message.""

""Dance is all about movement and people speaking different languages can simply react the same way.""

Runde, 46, was born in Madrid. She began studying ballet as a child and eventually graduated from the International Dance Center in France. She earned her master's degree from the London Contemporary Dance School and York University in Canada.

""The dance will employ a lot of ballet techniques, movements introduced by (Martha) Graham and contact improvisation. The latter is a dance technique introduced in the United States during the 1960s. It bears similarity to the way the hippies danced,"" she said.

""I started dancing with something very academic, formal and ended up in contemporary dance,"" said Runde, who also participated in the 1998 Indonesia Art Summit.

Social Tales starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Jakarta Playhouse in Central Jakarta or contact 021-79198571 for reservations.

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