Graceful resistance: Kartika Hermiyanti (center) plays as the title character in Siti Soendari. (JP/Benni Yusriza)

'Disini tidak ada lagi inlander!' (There are no more native people here!)

The dancers' shout opened the performance of dance drama Siti Soendari on Saturday night.

The pitch-black hall turned red and yellow as lights followed the dancers' movements across the stage. Each dancer held a lidi (coconut leaf stick). Slowly, the dancers moved into a corner where a globe was located. Then, they thrust the sticks onto the globe as a symbol of resistance against the Dutch rule.

Siti Soendari, the wife of the national Youth Pledge icon Muhammad Yamin, was a prominent female figure during the Indonesian struggle for independence. One of her landmark achievements was her involvement in the Second Congress of The Youth Pledge, where she spoke about the necessity of women's education. She also became a highlight at the First Women Congress in Yogyakarta after delivering a paper entitled 'Indonesian Women's Dreams and Responsibilities'.

Presented by T-ta Paramadina, the combination of traditional and contemporary dance took place at the Bulungan Theater Hall, Jakarta, in front of over 700 viewers.

The hour-long performance gave a unique interpretation of The Youth Pledge history. The Indonesian Youth Congress in 1928 rarely mentioned Siti Soendari and mostly highlighted how male figures across the nation formulated the three points of The Youth Pledge ' the declaration of having one motherland, one nation and one language ' which became the foundation of the country's unity.

'It is not easy tying up a historical string of events that most people do not know about. Siti Soendari tells us a story about the spirit of Indonesian female youth, who realized the importance of unity and independence,' said the theater troupe's director, Mario Sunyiroh.

The theater production was led by Ath Thariq Putri Utami (Atta). Established six years ago, the performance was the first theater production for T-ta Paramadina that engaged more in cultural missions.

'There were many obstacles during this production. We had difficulties in finding sponsors as well as in researching Siti Soendari's history. But all the hard work has paid off,' said Atta.

Setiawan Erik was the choreographer of the production. He did not simply combine traditional and contemporary dance, but mixed them together harmoniously.

The music, composed by Altajaru Sound & Ensemble, also blended perfectly with the dance. The audience cheered with enthusiasm during the upbeat moments of the performance.

'The performance was simply terrific. I could feel the dancers' moves and the music. But I wish it had more dialogue. This saga has definitely been lost from our history. We already know there are some female figures in our history like Kartini, Dewi Sartika and Cut Nyak Dien. From this show, we can see that Siti Soendari also deserves more credit from us,' said Felix Martha, who came to watch the performance.

The story ended with a scene in which all the dancers gathered together on the stage, which was decorated as the Second Youth Congress in 1928 when the Youth Pledge was declared.

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