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Dancers take a leap to the international stage
Footwork: Ballerinas from Ballet Sumber Cipta rehearse for Tok, which will be performed during the Indonesian Ballet Gala
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Footwork: Ballerinas from Ballet Sumber Cipta rehearse for Tok, which will be performed during the Indonesian Ballet Gala." border="0" height="322" width="512">Footwork: Ballerinas from Ballet Sumber Cipta rehearse for Tok, which will be performed during the Indonesian Ballet Gala.Felicia Harenya was drenched in sweat and it splashed on the people watching from the side of the practice space while she whirled and leaped diagonally toward the center of the room.
The 17-year-old and her fellow ballet dancers from Namarina Youth Dance were in technical rehearsal on Tuesday for their upcoming performance on an international stage.
In their stage costumes, the young women, who are mostly school students, danced their parts in the Nawang Wulan oeuvre without interruption under the observant eyes of the teachers and stage managers.
If they felt exhausted, it didnât show on their faces.
The practice ended slightly after 10 p.m. with choreographer Dinar Karina giving feedback to the dancers.
The Namarina dancers are among the Indonesian performers who will appear at the Indonesia Ballet Gala on Aug. 22 at the Ciputra Artpreneur Theater in South Jakarta.
Three major ballet institutions: Namarina, Ballet Sumber Cipta and Marlupi Dance Academy will share the stage with the national ballet companies of Australia, the Czech Republic and South Korea. The event, Indonesiaâs first-ever international ballet, was initiated by six ballet enthusiasts who together have formed the Indonesian Ballet Foundation (Ballet.id).
Indonesiaâs lack of its own national ballet company prompted the dancers to seek their own way to achieve international recognition.
Amid the intensive practice for the ballet gala, Felicia and her double cast Athaya Puri in the Nawang Wulan dance are also preparing to compete in the prestigious Genee International Ballet Competition in London in September.
Both of them were the first Indonesian representatives at the Asian Grand Prix Award in Hong Kong in 2014.
Nawang Wulan dancers Truly Rizki and Irina Putri are competing at this yearâs Grand Prix.
âWe wish weâd been able to send more of our dancers so they could widen their experience and sharpen their skills while showing to their counterparts that Indonesia does have skilled ballet dancers,â said Dinar.
Footwork: Ballerinas from Ballet Sumber Cipta rehearse for Tok, which will be performed during the Indonesian Ballet Gala. Felicia Harenya was drenched in sweat and it splashed on the people watching from the side of the practice space while she whirled and leaped diagonally toward the center of the room. The 17-year-old and her fellow ballet dancers from Namarina Youth Dance were in technical rehearsal on Tuesday for their upcoming performance on an international stage. In their stage costumes, the young women, who are mostly school students, danced their parts in the Nawang Wulan oeuvre without interruption under the observant eyes of the teachers and stage managers. If they felt exhausted, it didn't show on their faces. The practice ended slightly after 10 p.m. with choreographer Dinar Karina giving feedback to the dancers. The Namarina dancers are among the Indonesian performers who will appear at the Indonesia Ballet Gala on Aug. 22 at the Ciputra Artpreneur Theater in South Jakarta. Three major ballet institutions: Namarina, Ballet Sumber Cipta and Marlupi Dance Academy will share the stage with the national ballet companies of Australia, the Czech Republic and South Korea. The event, Indonesia's first-ever international ballet, was initiated by six ballet enthusiasts who together have formed the Indonesian Ballet Foundation (Ballet.id). Indonesia's lack of its own national ballet company prompted the dancers to seek their own way to achieve international recognition. Amid the intensive practice for the ballet gala, Felicia and her double cast Athaya Puri in the Nawang Wulan dance are also preparing to compete in the prestigious Genee International Ballet Competition in London in September. Both of them were the first Indonesian representatives at the Asian Grand Prix Award in Hong Kong in 2014. Nawang Wulan dancers Truly Rizki and Irina Putri are competing at this year's Grand Prix. 'We wish we'd been able to send more of our dancers so they could widen their experience and sharpen their skills while showing to their counterparts that Indonesia does have skilled ballet dancers,' said Dinar. Namarina Youth Dance The ballet school will perform Nawang Wulan, a piece taken from 7 Veils, which is being choreographed by Dinar Karina. The story is adapted from folk tale Jaka Tarub when fairy Nawang Wulan is left behind on Earth by other fairies as she has lost her veil. Artistic director Maya Tamara has taken out the male character from the original dance and is focusing instead on the grieving fairies and Nawang Wulan's first encounter with humans. The 20-minute dance combines classic ballet, jazz and Indonesian traditional dance with only the seven fairies wearing pointe shoes. Dinar, 53, who has learned ballet since the age of 5 with Nani Lubis, the founder of Namarina, said she created the Indonesian ballet repertoire not only because it was based on the original bedtime story, but also because it reflects Indonesia's national principle of 'unity in diversity'. 'Indonesia is about the co-existence of people of different backgrounds, religions and ethnicities who share one thing in common ' being Indonesian. 'I hope people can recognize and value the Indonesian elements in the dance aside from the costumes and props used,' said Dinar. Ballet Sumber Cipta Sumber Cipta dancers who will perform in Tok, do not warm-up in the usual way. Late on Thursday, they let in Flo, the dog of the school's caretaker, to play chase with them at the large practice room on the third floor of the school building, on Jl. Ciputat Raya, South Jakarta. The Spartan-like warm-up is necessary because of the dynamic leg work the dance requires from the eight dancers. Tok ' which has no meaning other than onomatopoeia for something being hit by a blunt object ' tells the story of a couple dealing with the presence of another woman in their relationship. Main dancers Marich Prakoso, Ann Bellayo and Nabilla Rasul are the original cast from the latest production in 2012 picked by choreographer and school founder, the Bolshoi-educated Farida Oetoyo. The Balinese costumes and props are dated from the initial production in 1985. The music for the dance was originally composed by the late Slamet Abdul Sjukur and rearranged by musician Aksan Sjuman, the youngest son of Farida. Nabilla, 25, was the recipient of an arts grant from Yayasan Kelola in 2013 in which the art community provided funds for her to hold her own productions. The accomplished choreographer was also the special performer at the Asean Literary Festival in March. 'We're short of dancers right now. There is a wide gap between beginners and more advanced dancers,' said Nabilla, who was recently made a teacher at the school. Many of the dancer on the corps de ballet are school students, who are reminded to submit a permission letter to their home teachers should they have to leave classes for practice. Among them is Radinka Dharsono, a classical pianist who will hold a recital in October at Soehanna Hall at the Energy Building. Marlupi Dance Academy Unlike the other two ballet schools, Marlupi created The Journey especially for the Indonesian Ballet Gala. Choreographer Claresta Alim, who won first and second place for her works at the International Youth Dance Festival in Hong Kong in 2014, foregrounded Balinese arts and culture in the piece. The technical rehearsal on Saturday at the Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, gave a preview of the the festive ambience of the oeuvre. Balinese decorations were prominent, while female dancers wore tutus made of Balinese clothes completed with traditional bracelets and headdresses. The Journey tells of the daily life of Balinese people, which starts from the early morning. The 20-minute dance consists of a pas de deux that shows how love is an integral part of life and a male solo part to display the hard work of the breadwinners. The male dancers close the part, and the corps de ballet take the stage to express a message that love and marriage doesn't hinder ones social life. 'People usually think of Bali when Indonesia is mentioned. However, not many of them know about Bali itself,' said Claresta, a third generation descendant of the school founder who previously joined Arts Ballet Theater in Florida. For the gala performance, the school will present its best dancers. Irene Aryanto, Michael Halim and Resti Oktaviani joined the Genee International Ballet Competition in 2008, 2009 and 2012, respectively, and each of them made it to the semifinals. Resti's solid technique and profile saw her chosen as a model for the prestigious competition's poster in 2013. 
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