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Tribute to a ballerina: Farida Oetoyo's love story unfolds on stage
The contemporary ballet dance was choreographed by Arya Yudistira Sjuman to tell the story of his parents, prominent Indonesian ballerina Farida Oetoyo and filmmaker Sjuman Djaja, as they pursued their studies and career in Russia in the 1960s.
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Tribute performance: Dancers in masks perform "Serdtse" (Heart in Russian). The contemporary ballet number was created by Farida Oetoyo. (Courtesy of Rumah Karya Sjuman/Extra Jose)
I
n the chill of the night, a young couple meets by fate after being alone for a while. There is joy in their next encounters but also sorrow. Nevertheless, the ballet dancer and the film student hold on to each other until the curtain closes.
The contemporary ballet dance was choreographed by Arya Yudistira Sjuman to tell the story of his parents, prominent Indonesian ballerina Farida Oetoyo and filmmaker Sjuman Djaja, as they pursued their studies and career in Russia in the 1960s.
“I talked to my mother’s friends and colleagues who knew about the story as well as my mother’s habits at that time to create the dance,” Yudistira said at the opening of the performance in Teater Besar of art and cultural center Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta on Dec. 13.
The dance, titled Dan Pertama Kalinya Bulan Purnama (And For the First Time, a Full Moon), was the theme of the extra performance by Jakarta City Philharmonic (JCP) to close the year.
It was an homage to the late Farida, formerly a commissioner of the Jakarta Arts Council – the patron of the philharmonic – who would have been 80 years old in 2019.
And it was also the first time for the philharmonic to play as an accompaniment to a ballet performance presented by Farida’s school, Ballet Sumber Cipta.
The performances were divided into three segments, each representing the different ballet styles taught at the school: classical, neo-classical and contemporary ballet.
