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Sardono W. Kusumo to perform 'Black Sun' at Singapore International Festival of Arts
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Indonesian dance maestro and former rector of the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ), Sardono W Kusumo, will perform at the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) 2016. (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
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ndonesian dance maestro and former rector of the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ), Sardono W. Kusumo, will perform at the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) 2016. The sub-event titled Sardono Retrospective 2016 will be presented in three sessions that include Expanded Cinema, Solo Live Painting and a dance performance titled Black Sun.
“I’ve always video-documented all exploration processes in my work, ever since I was only 25. The documentations will be presented at the SIFA,” Sardono said Tuesday.
(Read also: Three genres of Balinese traditional dance recognized by UNESCO)
Sardono has traveled to a number of islands and remote areas in Indonesia since he was 25 years old. During his travels, he encountered various tribes such as Nias, Papua, Dayak and many more, and the tribes contribute to enriching his dance arts.
“I documented each journey with my video camera and now I know that what I recorded becomes very important today,” he added.
Aside from dancing, Sardono also loves to paint and has produced hundreds of painting and sketches. In the Solo Live Painting, Sardono will combine painting and dancing at the same time, to finally produce an expressionist-style painting.
Another work of Sardono’s that will be presented in the SIFA 2016 is the expanded cinema (long-duration movie). Sardono collaborated with Faozan Rizal to produce a 40 hour-long movie that will be the grand decor of his two-week show in Singapore.
(Read also: Sasikirana dance camp 2016 to hold 'Dance City, Density!' performance)
Sardono will also present his newest dance titled Black Sun in the event. The performance will involve dancers from Surakarta and Papua. “This dance is about my concern for human tragedy, mainly the millions of people who have become refugees as a result of war,” he explained. Black Sun will be performed on Aug. 26 and 27 at The Malay Heritage Centre, Singapore.
Singapore International Festival of Arts has been held annually since 1977. Although it went on hiatus in 2012, the festival returned in 2014 under the leadership of festival director Ong Keng Sen. The 2016 Singapore International Festival of Arts will be held for seven weeks, from Aug. 11 to Sep. 17. (asw)
