Dancers torn between money, artistic integrity

Emmy Fitri ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 04/06/2008 10:44 AM  |  Lifestyle

The growing popularity of dance for entertainment purposes -- on TV and in the image industry -- has resulted in increased opportunities for dancers.

But these days choreographer Rusdi Rukmarata and his wife Herwindra Aiko Senosoenoto are among the few dance professionals whose work could be described as cutting-edge.

Twelve years ago, the two founded Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia (EKI).

Since its establishment, the company has accepted commercial jobs, as well as working on longer-term creative projects.

Rusdi, a graduate of the London Contemporary Dance School, said that in the beginning he felt like he was sacrificing his artistic integrity when his troupe performed at corporate gatherings.

"But then I looked at the other side of the coin. They were potentially our future audience (for contemporary dance). I don't mean to boast but, bit-by-bit, I hope to educate our audience by presenting them with choreography that is more challenging than that on TV," he said.

"We try to make heavy themes easier to digest," Rusdi said, citing the 2001 EKI comedy Madam Dasima, which was originally a tragedy.

EKI director Aiko said she still dreamed of running a contemporary dance space.

"There just aren't enough contemporary dance performances to keep those with the seeds of appreciation interested.

"Java Jazz is a good example. The festival attracts bigger audiences every year, although there are probably only a few real jazz lovers among the thousands of people who attend," she said.

Although his company is not established as EKI -- which provides its dancers with monthly salaries and accommodation, Papua-born choreographer Jecko Kurniawan Siompo employs the same strategy as EKI.

Jecko's dance company is divided into two groups -- hip-hop and contemporary -- which serve different functions.

Andara "Anggie" Firman Moeis from the Jecko Siompo Dance Company said: "There used to be a gap between the hip-hop dancers and the contemporary dancers, but once in a while Jecko would ask the hip-hop guys to take part in an "alternative" project.

"What I like about this group is that the hip-hop guys take this form of dance seriously. They learn about the history and symbols of each movement like locking, ticking and popping."

Contemporary dance critic and researcher Helly Minarti said there were events -- the Urban Choreography Festival, the Arts Summit and the Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF) -- that could accommodate contemporary dancers however, many of them were poorly curated or lacked funding.

After the perceived failures of 2002 and 2004, the IDF, for example, tried a different approach in 2006. The organizer invited Bangkok-based independent curator Tang Fukuen to bring international groups here to perform.

"Fukuen's critical curatorial note, however, was not followed by our curatorial note on local groups," she said.

Helly is also of the belief that contemporary artists need to rethink their priorities, perhaps even steering away from avant-garde choreography.

"It's sad. I took a job as a guest lecturer at an art institute. I asked my students to name one contemporary choreographer and they gave me (modern dance choreographer) Guruh Soekarnoputra. The students had no idea about dance history.

"I could understand it if laymen were asked and gave me that answer," Helly said.

She said dancers were stuck doing the same old thing because they had failed to build bridges with their audiences.

"If there is a (contemporary dance) performance, it will be a case of the 'four Ls' or lu lagi lu lagi (you again, again and again)," she said.

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