This scene is from a filmed dance performance by Harry Harmonika, one of 60 participants in South Korean Ahn Eun-me’s 1’59 Project Indonesia for the Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF), which starts this Saturday.

Unlike the past events, this year’s IDF, which will run for a week, until Nov. 14, will be held online because of the pandemic.

Ahn is one of the international choreographers who have been invited to present their work. She led a Zoom workshop for Indonesian dance enthusiasts.

"Participants came from throughout Indonesia. Registration was open for two days. It turned out that the interest was really huge. More than 200 people signed up, but room was limited, so we could only accommodate 60 people,” IDF program manager Ratri Anindyajati told The Jakarta Post.

Ahn has choreographed more than 150 dances and has received international acclaim on world-renowned stages.

“I believe making something a creation comes from somewhere in your mind and something you want to do. Today I am trying to bring that energy back, and dance easily gives you power,” she said during the workshop, titled “Jump and Run”.

After the workshop, the participants were each asked to choreograph a one minute and 59 second dance to be submitted to the IDF committee.

Stage showing: A dance troupe performs during the 2018 Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF). (Courtesy of/IDF)

In designing the dances, the participants were given significant freedom and were encouraged to explore body movements and exploit their surroundings, including their homes, to create a kind of stage. While restricting performances in certain ways, virtual dance performances can also challenge dancers and choreographers to be more creative in the use of the camera.

Harry, a lecturer who has had a passion for dance since childhood, experimented with placing the camera on the floor. On the ceiling, he installed a light on a rotating tray.

“It's an unusual angle that I would not able to do on the stage. The audience sees my feet in front and my head looks like it has been thrown far back,” he said.

#berDAYAbersama

The IDF was established in 1992 by ​​dance lecturers at the Jakarta Art Institute (IKJ), including Maria Darmaningsih, Nungki Kusumastuti and Sardono W. Kusumo.

"They were concerned about the lack of room back then for young Indonesian choreographers to express themselves and present their work. They decided to hold the IDF, referencing the American Dance Festival. That's why it's called the Indonesian Dance Festival,” Ratri said.

Under normal circumstances, the IDF runs for a week and presents up to 20 performances on several stages. The organizers collaborate with the cultural centers of Germany, France, Japan and Korea, as well as the British Council, to bring in international performers.

Virtual performance: South Korean dance choreographer Ahn Eun-me gives a workshop on her 1'59 Project Indonesia through Zoom in the lead up to the Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF) beginning this weekend. (Courtesy of/YouTube)

This year's contemporary dance festival has been renamed IDF2020.zip with the theme “DAYA: Cari Cara” (power: seeking a way) in response to the current conditions. It invites the public to seek collective empowerment through performances in their homes or private spaces.

"Like the computer term “zip”, IDF activities will be more densely packed this time but will contain significant experiences of contemporary Indonesian and international dance selected for us to enjoy, ponder and discuss together," said Ratri.

"We are striving together to find ways for digital platforms to become integral parts of the creative process. We are not supposed to merely file documents but instead should interact on camera to make something different,” she added.

Curated by Arco Renz of Belgium, Agnesia Linda Mayasari, Nia Agustina and Rebecca Kezia, the 15th festival presents three main programs: Performances, Kampana and zip.Conversations.

Besides Ahn’s 1'59 project, the performances feature Gymnastik Emporium from Yogyakarta, Ayu Permata Sari from Lampung and Hari Ghulur from Madura.

The Kampana program is a forum that seeks to empower young dancers and provide a means for them to develop their ideas, while the zip.Conversations program will explore the effects of the pandemic on bodily activity from a biological, political and existential perspective.

“The IDF is highly esteemed by the contemporary dance community in Southeast Asia because we are the most consistent in the world of contemporary dance. Our colleagues in Thailand, Singapore are always waiting for the IDF to come,” Ratri said.