Papermoon Puppet Theater. (Courtesy of Salihara)

A cultural community known as Komunitas Salihara will officially begin its month-long biannual Festival Salihara on Sunday, inviting people to take a break from their routines to join a colorful art party.

The fifth edition of Festival Salihara '€“ which runs from Sept. 13 to Oct. 22 '€“ presents 11 main dance, music and theatrical performances by artists from Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Georgia, Indonesia and the Netherlands.

All of the main events will be held at the community, located at Jl. Salihara 16, Pasar Minggu, in South Jakarta.

The community said this year'€™s festival would use the tagline '€œDi Seni Senang'€ (Happy Go Artsy).

'€œThe festival wants to present a bright, colorful, playful and fun event. We believe people will enjoy the work of the performing artists.'€

The community promised that the performances would also inspire the audience.

'€œBy getting involved in this spectacle, the audience will be able to creatively interpret art life and socio-cultural aspects in general,'€ the community said in a statement

The festival is curated by Nirwan Dewanto, Tony Prabowo, Mohamad Guntur Romli, Hasif Amini, Goenawan Mohamad, Ayu Utami and Asikin Hasan.

The Anime String Orchestra. (Courtesy of Salihara)

Festival Salihara will officially open on Sunday with a performance by the Animé String Orchestra led by conductor Haryo '€œYose'€ Soejoto at 8 p.m. at Galeri Salihara. Ticket prices are Rp 50,000 for students and Rp 100,000 (US$8.50) for adults.

The ensemble, which is known for incorporating elements of rock music, will perform songs from The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP), which have been rearranged and performed on stringed instruments.

The famed Yogyakarta-based Papermoon Puppet Theatre will present the play '€œSurat ke Langit'€ (A Letter to the Sky) on Sept. 27 and 28. The play follows the character Tala who is on a journey to find Puno, a cheerful man who is loved by many.

Dance choreographer Danang Pamungkas from Surakarta, Central Java, will perform '€œA Part of
Passion'€ '€“ a minimalistic performance in which he will show the importance of patience and fortitude in life.

Musical performances in the festival will feature organist Katerina Chroboková from the Czech Republic.

Accordion Duo TOEAC. (Courtesy of Salihara)

Chroboková, who became internationally known after winning the Oundle International Organ Festival in the UK, will perform several of her compositions from her first album Inside the Apple. Chroboková will also perform compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and Olivier Messiaen.

From the Netherlands, accordion duo TOEAC will perform classical and romantic music and 20th century music that will include tango. Accordionists Renée Bekkers and Pieternel Berkers are an award-winning duo whose work has been recognized with awards from the Grachtenfestival Academy of Music Competition, the Premio Internazionale di Fisarmonica and the Grand Prix International.

Austrian dancer Ziya Azazi will return to the festival to perform the dervish dance that was originally developed by the Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi and the Mevlevi Order. Ziya intends to explore the sacred basic movements and philosophy of the dance with a more diverse audience.

The 2014 Festival Salihara will also host a number of workshops, including a watercolor painting workshop with Sasya Tranggono, an accordion workshop with TOEAC, a percussion workshop with Speak Percussion from Australia and a Nordic lighting design workshop with the Susanna Leinonen Company from Finland.

The festival is also supported by free-of-charge fringe performances by the bands SORE, Endah N Rhesa, Duck Dive, Jirapah, The Experience Brothers, GRIBS, Sashi+Yuyi and Mata Jiwa, as well as stand-up comedians Awwe, Adriano Qalbi and Boris Bokir.

For further information, head to salihara.org.