Young, talented and packed with graceful moves, the dancers will shape the future of Indonesian ballet.

Ballet has always been regarded as a form of dancing that requires thousands hours of practice. It should not be misconstrued as a dance that is just for the ladies. Some of the greatest ballet dancers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev were men who gave phenomenal performances time and again to audiences who were delighted and amazed to witness their strength, endurance, beauty and grace.

The two were Russian, and indeed through them, as well as choreographers Diaghilev and Mikhail Fokin and also composers such as Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, Russia has become the epicenter of ballet. Russia’s impressive reputation in ballet has made most of us forget that the graceful dance originated in Italy in the 15th century and expanded worldwide. As a result, the art interacted with different cultures and evolved in a number of distinct ways.

In the early 20th century, Russian-born ballet choreographer George Balanchine took the techniques from his education in St. Petersburg and fused it with other styles of movement that he adopted during his tenure as a guest choreographer on Broadway and in Hollywood to create neoclassical style.

His signature ballet style, among others, earned Balanchine a reputation as “the father of American ballet.”

Balanchine was invited to the United States in 1933 by a young arts patron named Lincoln Kirstein who shared Balanchine’s ideas, concepts and attitude, and together they founded the New York City Ballet.

Some other countries have it their stride in ballet, but what about Indonesia? If she were still alive, the mother of Indonesian ballet, Farida Oetoyo, would be 80 this July, but has her search for authentic Indonesian ballet been accomplished? What is Indonesian ballet, anyway? Have today’s choreographers and ballet dancers cultivated the rich asset of Indonesian culture that would be great material for storylines, music and even the dance movements?

These are four of the most successful Indonesian dancers at this moment, and they certainly have to follow Farida’s footsteps if they want to become known in the international scene.

Shalama Qowlam Fadila

Reaching new heights: At the age of 15, Jakarta-based ballerina Shalama Qowlam Fadila won second place in the Junior Ballet Solo category at the Taiwan Grand Prix International Ballet Competition in August last year. (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Grand Prix IBC)

Shalama began her ballet training at Namarina Dance Academy when she was 11 years old. She took part in her first international competition in August 2017, making it to the finals at the Asian Grand Prix. Three months later, she won the Gold Medal at the Malaysian International Ballet Grand Prix, which awarded her with direct entry to the finals of the Taiwan Grand Prix, where she then won second place.

She was awarded scholarships for master classes at Bossov Ballet Theatre at Maine Central Institute and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Schools, both located in the US.

The young ballerina chose instead to continue her ballet training at one of the world’s most prestigious ballet schools — the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, which she had auditioned for after securing second place at Dance Prix Indonesia in April 2018. Shalama just completed her first year at the academy.

Ari Prajanegara

Ari Prajanegara (Courtesy of Ari Prajanegara)

Ari started his dance journey at EKI Dance Company, doing not only ballet but also hip hop, tap dance and other contemporary styles. After taking several master classes with prominent dancers, he then performed in several countries, including at the Sibu International Dance Festival in Malaysia.

He joined Marlupi Dance Company and Indonesia Dance Company in 2017 under Fifi Sijangga, Siko Setyanto and Claresta Alim, and won the Dance Prix 2018, among his other achievements.

Nadia Mulyono

Romance: Ballerina Nadia Mulyono performs The Two dance with Michael Halim. (Courtesy of Marlupi Dance Academy)

Nadia started her ballet training at Marlupi Dance Academy in 2000. She was a semifinalist at the Genee International Ballet Competition in London and was accepted to be trained at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York City.

She then danced for the National Youth Council in Singapore and became a soloist for Youth Sensation Global Tour 2014. In 2017 she was invited to perform at the International Young Dancers Festival in Miami, Florida. Her repertoire not only include Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Ruby in The Nutcracker but also Shinta in Rama & Shinta and Iteung in Si Kabayan, a performance inspired by West Java folklore.

Jemima Vaya

Born in Jakarta in 2000, Jemima had shown interest in ballet from a tender age. She was always in class to accompany her mom, a ballet dancer and teacher. Thus saying she started ballet as early as she could walk was an understatement.

Her mom guided her until they moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2006, where she had Lee Yupin and Goh Siew Hiong from the Sri Wilayah Ballet Center to guide her. 

In 2010, she was awarded a scholarship to study in the international training program at the Australian Ballet School. After spending two years in the program, the ballet school granted her a full scholarship but she was too young to be granted a full-time student visa from the Australian government.

She received a full scholarship in 2012 to the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet in New York and then she continued her ballet training in New York under Gelsey Kirkland, Lyubov Fominich and others until graduation in 2016.

Last year, Jemima joined the Melbourne City Ballet as an emerging artist. Now, she is a trainee in the State Ballet of Georgia.

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The writer is a pianist and composer.