Non-Simple Privacy

Solos was presented poetics with unique visual strength,

Susanne Linke performed the dance art titled Solos with four repertoires at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta on 14 March 2009 at 20.00 hours wib. The Solos dance art has four repertoires, respectively titled: Im Bade wannen, Wandlung, Flut, and Kaikou-Yin. It was created between 1978 and 2008, and is presently performed by Susanne Linke herself, Mareike Franz, and Urs Dietrich, during 55 minutes. I was a short time compared to the creation procedure, which took one decade.

This was Susanne Linke’s second visit to Jakarta since the Art Summit Indonesia in 1998. Besides performing her art work, Susanne also conducted a workshop during three days for nine participants: dancers and choreographers from Jakarta and Solo.

Im Bade wannen was performed by Susanne Linke, commencing by sitting on the toilet bowl with her back to the audience. She played once in a while with her back muscles. Then she stood up carrying a towel, staring to the toilet bowl. Then her eyes were directed to a bath tub. She approached the bath tub, encircled it and walked away, slowly throwing away the towel and again approached the bath tub. The repetition of this movement showed a dialogue. She was in a tilted position when she arrived at the bath tub, and Susanne Linke lied down facing the bath tub. The lights slowly faded out.

This simple art work is actually not simple. By observing herself, and nakedly (although Susanne Linke still wore clothes) in her privacy room, a woman becomes free and at the same time nervous about the reality, illusions and dreams. Dreams and hopes can sometimes be materialized, or only the illusions. The swinging En habit de Cheval/Gymnopedie I & III music composition of Eric Satie, with the version for the Claude Debussy orchestra, made the world of dreams like wandering high.

Wandlung was performed by Mareike Franz, a younger female dancer. Susanne Linke expressed her memories about Mary Wigman, her teacher. The movement composition was slower with full intensity. It began by sweeping the floor with the back of the dancer in lying condition, with contraction movements and small reflections that flowed repetitively. Turning over her body, she kept crawling and sweeping the stage floor and then disappeared in one straight road, which was dark and melancholic. Death was then not felt as something frightening. The Der Tod und das Madchen music composition of Franz Schubert from a Busch Quartet historical recording was a beautiful and discreet background.

Flut, which was performed by Urs Dietrich, a male dancer, was quite energic and attractive. The dancer came walking backwards on his tiptoe, sat down and squatted. His repetitively body movements filled half of the stage room together with a roll of clothes, which he cleaved until it became long. The cloth play gave the impression of an overflowing water imagination. The masculine gesture in ballet style appeared astonishing. Again, Susanne Linke talked about human complexity, a struggle in the life storm, which is not only felt by women but also by men.

Kaikou-Yin was again performed by Susanne Linke herself. She came crawling and playing with both hands. Her figure was like a four-footed animal: a cat, dog or lion. Kaikou-Yin was taken from the Japanese language, which means soul transmigration. With an animal movement, full of intensity, she went to the center of the stage, and then suddenly this figure changed back to a woman, a ballerina, as searching and staring at one direction. The figure stood still like a statue in the middle of the stage, with the expression of full certainty toward expectations in the future. The 5 Symphonie Adagietto music composition of Gustav Mahler was the accompanying background.