TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
‘Indonesian Broadway’ to mark EKI’s 25th anniversary
Stylish: The dance troupe utilizes elements of K-pop and interprets modern slang to appeal to a millennial audience
Change Size
Stylish: The dance troupe utilizes elements of K-pop and interprets modern slang to appeal to a millennial audience.
A Broadway-style event will liven up the Jakarta Playhouse when the Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia Dance Company celebrates its 25th anniversary this week.
The Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia (EKI) Dance Company will bring out some Broadway charm for its upcoming shows in EKI Update v.4.1 on Friday and Saturday at the Jakarta Playhouse (GKJ).
The shows, which mark the EKI Dance Company’s quarter-century anniversary, will be staged under the theme #BroadwaynyaIndonesia (Indonesian Broadway), representing EKI Dance Company cofounder Rusdy Rukmarata’s goal for his dance company to become the Indonesian version of Broadway.
“Both Broadway and West End, even though they’re similar, they have their own identities, with West End being mostly classical while Broadway is more jazz. Likewise, we have to be able to create a special Indonesian overtone that translates into a universal language. That is our hope for the future of the Indonesian dance scene.”
Far from the glitz and the glamour often on display in the EKI Dance Company’s performances are the dance company’s humble beginnings.
Fresh off his studies at the London Contemporary Dance School, Rusdy established the dance company in 1996 along with his wife Aiko Senosoenoto. Unfortunately, dance was not a common career path at the time.
“Around the time we first started, if someone had a good family background, they would not go to have a career in the arts,” Rusdy said, reminiscing over his struggles to recruit the EKI Dance Company’s first dancers.
Rusdy ended up recruiting troubled youth to be trained as professional dancers. Some were addicted to drugs or alcohol, while some others have criminal records.
The couple opened their home to the young dancers and did everything they could to support their careers.
Fast forward 25 years later and the EKI Dance Company has achieved many milestones, collaborating with music composer Djaduk Ferianto, actor Sujiwo Tejo, harpist Maya Hasan and many other notable artists for its shows.
The dance troupe has performed in front of many dignitaries and world leaders, including most recently Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo during his visit to Bogor Palace in 2017.
For Rusdy, one of the most memorable moments was when then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono came up on stage after its performance to commend the dancers, saying that they had made the country proud.
The glittering achievements did not come without sweat and tears. The first major problem the company faced was in 2001 amid the declining interest for contemporary dance performances.
It had a hard time attracting sponsors to its shows. Therefore, Rusdy made a drastic change, replacing its large-scale shows with mini-musicals that are still performed to this day.
“[We realized] that musicals have always been part of common Indonesian tradition,” said Rusdy, mentioning traditional musical performances lenong and wayang orang.
“We decided to adopt and interpret those comedy musicals, while still adopting to the staging and lighting techniques used in Broadway. Everything we produce is scripted, unlike traditional musicals, which are usually improvised.”
The strategy paid off. The dance company produced successful mini-musicals and accepted commercial gigs.
The EKI Dance Company’s second major slump occurred in 2012. To regain success, Rusdy knew that his dance company had to win over the younger generations.
“We decided to add a new layer [of excitement] to our shows, which we call millennial art. We now use bahasa gaul [slang] in our scripts and even K-pop music.”
“We went from Martha Graham to K-pop,” he said, referring to the celebrated choreographer who reshaped modern American dance.
For many of its shows, including the upcoming EKI Update v.4.1, the troupe channels the profits to the Foundation for Development of Disabled Children (YPAC).
Rusdy and Aiko first became aware of the nonprofit after they had their first son, who has cerebral palsy.
“In the past, we have done single choir shows with YPAC. However, we also wish to help implement dance into their curriculum as YPAC has a school. There is research on how art can act as a stimulus that provides a boost for the disabled, in particular those with cerebral palsy,” he said.
— Photos courtesy of EKI Dance Company
— The writer is an intern at the Jakarta Post.
