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‘Once’ upon a ballet
Swirl and twirl: Indonesian ballet dancers practice their moves for the upcoming gala performance Once, which is to take place in August
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span class="inline inline-center">Swirl and twirl: Indonesian ballet dancers practice their moves for the upcoming gala performance Once, which is to take place in August.(JP/Frederica Sizilia Priyanto)
A gala performance by an international ballet company will feature more than a good show, as it also offers golden tickets for local dancers to soar globally.
Like any other form of art, ballet is a medium of expression. But while internationally renowned, the graceful dance has never really intrigued the hearts of many Indonesians.
West Australian Ballet, with the support of the Australian Embassy Jakarta and in partnership with ballet.id, an NGO that promotes contemporary dances, will present Once, a ballet gala performance, on August 6 and 7 at Teater Jakarta in Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta.
The performance will feature excerpts from legendary fairytales The Nutcracker and Cinderella.
The show will be the group’s second appearance in town after their performance during The First Indonesian Ballet Gala in August last year.
But for this year, the dance company has decided to do something different: auditioning talented Indonesian ballet dancers to perform at the upcoming gala.
The audition aims to give Indonesian ballet dancers an opportunity to experience what it’s like to perform with an international ballet company, since the West Australian Ballet is well aware that many Indonesian ballet dancers aspire to be part of an international ballet group, yet have very scarce chances to do so.
“A couple of months ago, I heard rumors about this gala performance [...] And we ballet dancers have long been waiting for a performance like this,” said actress and ballerina Karina Salim during the press conference of Once.
“We’ve been wondering for years, when will an international ballet company come and perform in Indonesia? Because we know that they’ve gone to other Asian countries, like Singapore, Thailand and China, but never to Indonesia. So when I found out about Once, I and also the other dancers were on cloud nine,” she added.
Indeed, even though ballet is known in Indonesia since the 1920s, it has never really been popular. Japanese comics may inspire some young souls to take ballet lessons, but becoming professional ballet dancers may have never crossed their minds due to limited opportunities. No wonder, there’s never been any professional ballet group from Indonesia, and international ballet companies rarely consider Indonesia as their destination.
The organizer claims that the West Australian Ballet is the first international ballet group to ever perform in Indonesia on an international tour. Therefore, many Indonesian ballet dancers are very excited about the audition, knowing that they will obtain the golden tickets to perform for an international ballet company.
Seventy aspiring dancers auditioned in late June to perform alongside the West Australian Ballet. These dancers were immediately taught difficult ballet steps and were judged on how quickly they learned them and how well they could present various choreographies using these steps. Finally, 20 qualified dancers were picked: nine from the junior group (11 to 15 year of age) and 11 from the senior group (16 years and above). The 20 dancers were formed into a group called the Indonesian Youth Ensemble, and they have been practicing continuously for the performance in August.
Aside from the West Australian Ballet group and the Indonesian Youth Ensemble, the gala performance will feature Juliet Burnett, an Indonesian-Australian ballet dancer, who also happens to be the niece of famous Indonesian poet WS Rendra. The show will feature children from the Ciliwung Ballet Class, an initiative of Burnett’s to give ballet lessons and scholarships to children living near the Ciliwung river.
Once is set to become a once-in-a-lifetime performance for people to watch talented Indonesian dancers perform on the same stage with an international company and see their potential. Beyond entertaining people, this show is expected to open up opportunities for local ballet dancers to spread their wings for international careers.
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-Frederica S. Priyanto is an intern at The Jakarta Post
