Inviting foreign guests to look at our tradition from its roots is not without risks.
Cloudiness hangs down in the sky that night, but the courtesy chairs were still arranged in rows in front of an open stage. Thousands of people have long been waiting since the afternoon approaching the evening. Then the party started after Jero Wacik, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Joko Widodo, the Mayor of Solo, and Klaus Wolfer, the Austrian Ambassador, arrived along with the guests from Australia, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Japan, France, Togo, Singapore, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom, The biennial event was opened.
With the former Cavalry-Artillery bastion of 1874 as the background in the Pamedan Pura Mangkunegaran Palace Courtyard, Solo, the 5th Indonesia Performing Art Mart (IPAM) 2009 program started with 7 female dancers from Lahat, South Sumatera, with the Tari Kemban dance, which was traditionally a dance to accompany the installation procession of the Head of Clan. This was followed by the Tari Putri Renayu dance, which is about a beautiful princess who had a heart as hard as stone. She was cursed by a man named Si Pahit Lidah and became a stone. This legend of the cursed stone still exists until now in Lahat.
It was Jean-Francois Maljean who created joy in this party. Born in 1953 in Verviers Transat Line, Belgium, this bald pianist presented an enchanting solo piano recital. The repertoires titled Carnivals, Spartacus (from the latest Be My Valentine-Latino album), Les Feuilless Hortes Leaves, and Boobie Des Toubibs; was not only astonishing. The viewers were also shouting. “Twenty minutes are too fast, but it was no problem. This is only for a showcase,” said Jean-Francois Maljean.
This musician, who learned about jazz at the Berklee Music College in Boston, United States of America, was the only foreign guest who was considered as entertaining in this two yearly program. The other guests were invited in their capacity as presenters (buyer/impresario) to enjoy the show and to choose one or more from the ten art groups from Sumatera, Java, and Sulawesi, which were the performers in the 5th IPAM 2009, and to take them to the international stage in their respective countries.
According to Minister Jero Wacik, the 5th IPAM 2009 was a performing arts market that brought together the Indonesian artists and the artists, experts, performing arts organizers, and owners of spectacular buildings from various countries. “Indonesia proclaimed the Creative Industry 2009, and it included the performing arts. This event increased the marketing and promotion of the Indonesian traditional art and culture at the world forum. The superiority of this cultural value is an asset of the nation,” explained Minister Jero Wacik.
With a population of 224 million people, the Indonesian Islands consists of more than 300 ethnic groups, which have various languages and dialects. The cultural inheritances as well as the noble characteristics and values, which are reflected in the creative art works, such as the traditional dances, music, paintings, and artifacts, owned by this nation, attracted the performing arts organizers from other nations, and are intended to present the Indonesian performing arts in their countries. Klaus Wolfer, the Austrian Ambassador, was one of them.
”We are always interested to the performing arts from Indonesia. I specially come to Solo to watch and to choose the performers from this country. I took the Gamelan Bali to Austria before, and next month will be the turn of Kua Etnika from Djaduk Ferianto et al in Yogyakarta. Maybe Solo will be the next, because Solo is a city of dances. I am always enchanted by the swaying and swinging of the dancers,” said Klaus Wolfer. That evening he met Djaduk, who came with Nano and Ratna Riantiarno.
The other buyers were Rosemary Hinde from the Kenneth Myer Asian Theatre Series, the Arts Centre, Melbourne, Australia; Andrew Ross from the Brisbane Powerhouse, Australia; Kate Ben-Tovim from the Asia-link Arts Management, Australia; Monika Velsicova from the Slovak Traditional Dance Theatre, Slovakia; Tan Sin Nah and Hoon Jia Jia from the National Arts Council, Singapore; Nelson Fernandez from the National Futures Association-International Arts & Culture, United Kingdom, and Lucia Sucipto, Jobina Tan, and JP Nathan from The Esplande Co Ltd, Singapore.
Then also Hiromi Maruoka from the Tokyo Performing Arts Market Japan; Keiko Murakami from the Japan Gamelan Music Association; Dr Hae Jin Hwang and M. Baheshti Shahriar from the Compagnie Cultures & Performances, France; and Ilkka Kongas from the Folk Ensamble Rimpparemmi & Santa Claus Promotion, Finland. After watching the opening party at the Pura Mangkunegaran on Wednesday, 3 June, they were taken every night from the Sahid Jaya Hotel, Solo, to the Indonesian Art Institute, Solo, to watch a series of performing arts until Saturday, 6 June.
Norbertus Riantiarno, intimately called Nano Riantarno, the founder of Teater Koma, and his wife Ratna Riantiarno, were two among the many Indonesian artist figures, who faithfully escorted this grand celebration. According to Nano, how limited the organizing of the IPAM 2009 may be, the public should evaluate it positively, because this event showed that the government clearly cares about the promotion and marketing of the performing arts. “There is still one next step so that it is not only ceremonial,” he said.
If it is indeed interested to become the host for the third time after 2007 and this year, and Solo needs to have a representative performance building. This is because in order to watch 20 performances, the buyers have to repeatedly move from location to location. They moved from the Perdapa, to the Grand Theatre, then to the Mini Theatre at the campus of the Indonesian Art Institute, Solo. They also have to push and shove with hundreds of local viewers. The door glass of the Mini Theatre broke because the viewers competed to enter the arena.
”If the concept is to offer our performing art so that it is seen, chosen and taken by the foreign guests to the world stage, then a private event should be organized. If it is open for public like this, then the public also wants to watch. The campus becomes not representative due to its limited accommodation capacity,” explained Murtidjono, Head of the Art Council. However, Purnomo Subagio, the Head of the Tourism and Cultural Government Agency, directly responded, “Solo will soon have a representative performing art building as the host of the IPAM 2011.”
Since the last several months, Joko Widodo, the Mayor of Solo, was actively having discussions with Gunawan Mohamad and Sitok Srengenge. These two central figures of the Utan Kayu Community and several cultural elites were invited before at a meeting in Loji Gandrung, the official residence of the mayor. “We were invited by the Mayor of Solo to build an Opera House, but we didn’t want to rush. To build a spectacular and representative performing arts building, will need clear thought,” said Sitok in Solo.
More than that, a reliable curator will be needed to screen the IPAM participants. For example, the Kidung Banjar Panji repertoire from East Java became boring due to its too long time performance. The contents of social protest toward the Sidoarjo hot mud tragedy became bias because too many were presented on the stage. Ms SuAndi OBE, the Cultural Director of The Black Arts Alliance, United Kingdom, even left the visitor chair as she became uncomfortable waiting for the performance, which had no clear ending.
The Tari Laras Ragam Showcase, which was performed by the Tari Indra Studio, Bandung, also received a sharp evaluation from SuAndi. “Fifteen minutes is enough and more than that will in fact be boring,” she said after the performance at the Grand Theatre. SuAndi said that the performing art needs to imitate the ala gentleman socialization art. “He arrived, teased a bit, only for a moment, and then left. This is in fact making women inquisitive. Make such performing art. Make us inquisitive to get more,” said SuAndi.
In whatever business, including the performing art, the calculation always gets back to the issue of money and duration. “If the duration is too long, too many are presented as if without editing, then it means that the performance costs will be more expensive,” said SuAndi. Then she made an assumption that if she takes one of the performers from Indonesia to London, she will not be reluctant to transform into a cruel curator. “I will cut the unnecessary choreography. Cut, cut, cut. Do not force that all ideas should be included,” said SuAndi.
Herlambang Bayu Aji, was also a performer who was lucky to pass the selection by eliminating more than 50 other competitors. This curly hair artist is an artist who was more often exhibiting the installation art. However, approaching the closing of the 5th IPAM 2009, on Saturday night, 6 June, he became a new creation dalang (narrator) of wayang kulit (leather puppet). He presented an animal characteristic, although still with the human character voice, and presented the Sapi Nyusu Gobloke play. ”I narrate (dalang) in an autodidact way,” said this Wayang Rajakaya Community activist. His performance was far from the standard of a professional dalang. Safron Rasyidi from the organizing committee said that Bayu and his community need to more enrich themselves in order to provide better performance.
Inviting foreign guests to watch the tradition of this nation from the roots is not without risks. Moreover, if not all performers are in their best condition to appear. For example is the Dhe-Dhe Percusion, which collaborates the regee, jimbe, calung and dance music. One session before, part of its musicians appeared in accompanying the Pakeliran Bayu. In fact, one night before, on 5 June, they accompanied the Slamet Gundono theatrical performance titled Semar Meteng at the opening of the Semarak 30 Semar exhibition from the Ceramic Oven of F Widayanto at the National Gallery in Jakarta. Luckily those musicians are professionals.
Likewise was Safina Tiara Nadisa. She was successful in appearing freshly,although only as an additional player. ”I replaced Peni Candra Rini, the Sonoseni Ensamble singer, who was unable to be involved in this event due to the busy activities,” said this girl who is not yet reaching the age of 20 years. This group appeared before in various world standard events under the direction of the composer Wayan Sadra. One of those was its involvement in the 2k Millennium Festival at the Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Thursday night, 4 June, due to Safina’s vocal, the Sonoseni was again fascinatingly present.
Dr Matthew Isaac Cohen, an observer from the Royal Holloway University of London, United Kingdom, praised four repertoires presented by Sonoseni as ”the very best performances.” He also praised the Nan Jombang Group. The Tari Rantau Berbisik dance, which was performed by this group from Minangkabau, West Sumatera, was considered by Cohen as providing a new meaning and was not less interesting than the traditional tari piring (dish dance), which he already knew all this time.
Retno Sulistiorini was also praised by Cohen. Together with two other girl dancers, this 25 years old girl, who followed the tour with the Mugi Dance to Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium in 2008, presented the repertoire of the devoted Samparan Moving Space movement. “I learned a lot from Sardono W Kusuma, Jarot B Darsono, Eko Supriyanto and Ni Kadek Yulia,” said Eno, the intimated name of Retno. Cohen gave a message to Eno and the other performers to maintain their own traditional roots. “Do not lose your originality, because these riches are not owned and are currently sought by other nations,” said Cohen, who was also impressed by the originality of the ronggeng dance in the Banjaran Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk performed by the Pring Serentet Group, which was inspired by the Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk trilogy of Ahmad Tohari.
Prof. Dr. Slamet Suparno, the rector of the Indonesian Art Institute in Solo, also reminded that the globalization is not only an opportunity for the promotion and marketing of the Indonesian performing arts at the international stage, but it is simultaneously also a threat for the originality of our tradition art. The artists may not lose their foothold, only to fulfill the market demand. “We should constantly maintain the cultural tradition roots of our nation. Taking the performing arts to the world stage may not be accompanied by selling the self respect and identity of the
nation,” said Slamet.
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