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‘Sekala Niskala’ dance: Transforming grief into expression of life
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Chicken or egg?: The twin siblings Tantri (left, played by Ni Kadek Thaly Titi Kasih) and Tantra (right) play in chicken costumes. According to choreographer Ida Ayu Wayan Arya Satyani, the ‘Sekala Niskala’ dance stays true to the film, which uses chicken and egg as metaphors for the continuation of the life cycle. (Komunitas Salihara/Witjak Widhi Cahya)
A
dance adaptation of Kamila Andini’s critically acclaimed film Sekala Niskala (The Seen and Unseen) helps us contemplate how joy and sadness are deeply intertwined with one another.
Without having experienced deep sadness, can people truly appreciate the meaning of joy? Does the physical death of a loved one mark the end of the mutual love we share, or is it merely marking the transition into a more transcendental connection?
These questions, which make the central premise of Sekala Niskala (The Seen and Unseen), are brought to the fore in its recent dance-drama adaptation. The movie, directed by Kamila Andini, won the Grand Prix of the Generation KPlus International Jury at the Berlinale film festival last year.
Staged for the first time at the Komunitas Salihara cultural center in South Jakarta on June 15 and 16, the Sekala Niskala dance involves a cross-cultural troupe from Indonesia, Japan and Australia. The performance was part of the cultural center's annual international dance festival called Helatari Salihara.
The dance, choreographed by Ida Ayu Wayan Arya Satyani, features dancers from the Bumi Bajra community from Bali. With Kamila serving as artistic director, the dance remains faithful to the film’s take on the issue of life-and-death as well as grieving to explore the Balinese sekala niskala concept of the harmonious balance of contrasting elements in life.
The dance also features Japan’s Yasuhiro Morinaga and three Australian artists: Eugyeene Teh, Jenny Hector and Adena Jacobs.
The story revolves around Tantri (played by 14-year-old Ni Kadek Thaly Titi Kasih) and Tantra (played by 15-year-old Ida Bagus Putu Radithya Mahijasena), unisex twins who were born when the moon was in full eclipse. Balinese people refer to unisex twins like them as kembar buncing. The twins joyfully play together under the protection of their four nonphysical siblings from the unseen realm.
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‘Sekala Niskala’ dance: Transforming grief into expression of life
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- Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
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