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A Journey to Remember

By Cynthia Webb

Indonesian music and dance was showcased at a recent ambitious function, organized by ISABU, (The Indonesian Students Association of Bond University, Gold Coast, Qld.)

The organizers, Berry Bachtiar, Chairman of the project, and Abadi Tisnadisastra, President of the Students’ Union, wanted to make the evening very special, so they conceived the idea of presenting as guest star, Didik Nini Thowok, of Yogyakarta - one of Indonesia’s most world reknowned performers.

The formal event was an Indonesian banquet, along with a full programme of entertainment, held at Conrad Jupiters, on the evening of 14th March 2003.
About two hundred Indonesian and Australian friends gathered in the lobby, which was adorned with Indonesian traditional textiles, wayang golek, and topeng. There were student assistants, resplendent in traditional costumes from Indonesia receiving guests. Following pre-dinner drinks and greetings, all were seated at their tables and were soon watching the first dance. This was the Yapong Dance, which is a modern combination of traditional dances from Sunda, Java and Batavia. It was created by Bapak Bagong Kusudihardjo, legendary choreographer from Yogyakarta.

Then the function was officially opened by Bapak Hertomo Reksodiputro, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia. The guest dancers, Indonesian students from Australian National University, Canberra, University of Central Queensland., Griffith University, and Bond University performed a Sriwijaya dance, the Ngarojeng Dance, Rantak Dance, and Rampak Kendang. A performance of a Balinese dance drama featuring Rangda and the Kecak dance was performed by the Balinese community from Brisbane, with Kerensa Dewantoro dancing the role of Rangda, and traditional music was played during the dinner break.

When it was time for the guest star of the evening to begin his performance, all eyes were on the stage, as an assistant carried on the stiff form of a masked life-size mannequin-like figure, and carefully stood it down, facing the audience… or so it seemed.

Then the arms of this magical creature began to move gracefully and the dancer began weaving an amazing illusion upon the rapt audience. They became confused as the figure turned around and appeared to have two fronts and it was extremely difficult to ascertain which was the real front. It was also extremely difficult to ascertain the sex of this dancer although all knew this was the famous Didik Nini Thowok. He is one of the few dancers continuing the long Asian traditions of cross-gender dancing.

. Didik Nini Thowok is more than a dancer. He is a choreographer, a comedian, an actor, a stage make-up expert, a singer, and dance instructor at his own Natya Lakshita Dance School in Yogyakarta. He particularly enjoys working with children and has 250 child students there. Didik Nini Thowok is committed to passing on the important dance traditions to the younger generation and also is creating new dances especially for children.

He is frequently in demand to perform in various locations in Indonesia, and also on television, in both comedy and drama programmes. He performs in Ketoprak and Wayang Wong. He is also frequently traveling the world, performing at international events and just before coming to Gold Coast, had been in London, Paris, Rome and Cairo. Two weeks later, he had performances scheduled in Seattle, and San Francisco, USA . He has performed for Presidents, Sultans, Prime Ministers, V I Ps of all descriptions, and of course for the masa rakyat, whom he considers it his honour to entertain.

Didik’s fascination with the power of masks and illusion, is a strong theme in his work. He says that he is often profoundly influenced by the mask that he is wearing. He has his masks especially created for him by an artist who seems to be able to imbue personality into them. Didik Nini Thowok is continually exploring this artistic and spiritual phenomena.

He has enjoyed some rewarding and rich collaborations with dancers from other cultures, including India, France, Mongolia, and Japan. His presentation of KALA KINA KINI in Yogyakarta in Oct/Nov, 2001 was magical. It was a collaboration with Japanese dancers. In this performance all the dancers were masked and a masked Didik danced the role of Ratu Kidul with an ethereal grace.

While Didik was at the Gold Coast, he charmed everyone he met both on and off stage. He made the most of the opportunity see the great dance movie, “Chicago”, which will no doubt yield some creative inspirations, and to look around the Gold Coast as much as time would allow. He visited the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary to see kangaroos and koalas. He was also keen to visit the famous theme park, Warner Bros Movie World, where his interest was to observe the costumes, stage make-up, and the performance arts.

“I want to make people happy. I want to share love and beauty. When dancing, I feel I have a ‘vertical connection’ to God while my ‘horizontal connection is to my audience,” says Didik Nini Thowok. In this way he visualizes himself almost as a channel of creative inspiration.

While he was at Gold Coast, for only four days, he certainly achieved his aim. His performance was colourful and varied, and it was fascinating to watch him during performance, changing his masks, wigs, parts of costume, and indeed, his entire persona. He made us laugh, he confused us, and he filled us with admiration and respect for a truly great artist and entertainer.

Congratulations to ISABU and the sponsors who assisted, Bintang, Garuda, Martha Tilaar, Bond University, and Matilda Printing. Thank you for your vision and commitment in presenting what was truly A Night to Remember.

Cynthia Webb can be reached at: lorokidul3@yahoo.com