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Pro ballet companies needed
The future for Indonesia's small number of professional ballet dancers is bleak because there are not enough high-standard facilities they can train and perform in, a Dutch choreographer says
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The future for Indonesia's small number of professional ballet dancers is bleak because there are not enough high-standard facilities they can train and perform in, a Dutch choreographer says.
"In Indonesia, it (dancing) has no future because there are no professional dance companies here, even in the traditional dancing sector. This is a big problem in Indonesia," Gerard Mosterd told The Jakarta Post.
"System and discipline, that is what we need. I think ballet schools are quite organized because they have students, schedules and classes everyday. They are actually much more organized than most traditional dancing centers in Indonesia.
"The traditional dancers can learn from ballet schools in the big cities because they know how to build up a group of inspired students," he said.
"Talent is not the problem, but there are not enough organizations to help the talent shine. The opportunity to present the talent is not so easy. Art academies, like the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) and the Surakarta Institute of Arts (STSI), are supposed to do that."
Mosterd, speaking at Lucy Ballet School, has been asked to choreograph a particular piece for a performance to be held at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, Central Jakarta, on Oct. 19.
He said the government should take part and provide better facilities for dancing.
"But it's very difficult in Indonesia because it's not a developed country," he said.
Owner of Lucy Ballet School, Lucia Tanoto, also hoped that in the future there would be a strong dance company in Indonesia like those in foreign countries.
"It's hard to rely on the government. The city cultural agencies don't receive much funding, so rarely hold ballet shows. It has not staged a show for almost two years," said Lucia.
"I think all dancing schools in Jakarta, including ballet schools, should unite to develop dancing in the future. So far, the schools only try to get profits and go their own way." -- JP/Triwik Kurniasari
