FESTIVAL DANCERS
HARSANARI INDONESIAN DANCE COMPANY
NATIONAL/ETHNIC IDENTITY: Indonesian / Sundanese
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Michael K. Ogi
First Appearance in SF EDF: 1998
Website: www.harsanari.com
West Java holds some fascinating traditions of music and dance both
sacred and secular in nature. The Tari Rakyat, or folk dance of today,
represents a wide spectrum of dances from ancient trance dances performed
in ritual ceremonies to social dances performed in nightclubs. Influences
on the dance include the Sundanese martial art known as Pencak Silat,
and the dance and singing of professional female entertainers of the
aristocracy known as Ronggeng. One type of folk dance is Ketuk Tilu
in which Ronggeng dance with male members of the audience. It is a
traditional social dance that originated in villages of West Java and
has roots in Hindu traditions. Originally performed during fertility
ceremonies, Ketuk Tilu is now performed at nearly every festive occasion
in West Java.
Harsanari, meaning, "joy of dance" in Sanskrit, is a San
Francisco-based Indonesian dance company under the direction of Michael
Ogi since 1997. The company specializes in the dances from Sunda, West
Java.
2005 PERFORMANCE
TITLE OF PIECES: Waledan, Kembang Boled
CHOREOGRAPHY: Achmad Farmis
DANCERS: Alice Adeboi, Wan-Chao Chang, Michael Ogi,
Carol Sakamoto, Kai Tuft
Sundanese dance was transformed in the mid 1970s. As a response to
the Indonesian government ban on Western popular culture, in its absence
the youth invented purely indigenous music and dance expressions. One
of these forms, highly influenced by rural dance and music, is Jaipongan.
Harsanari performs two pieces based in the Jaipongan style. Waledan,
from the village Waled on the north coast of West Java, is a unique
combination of Sundanese and Balinese styles, blending folk dance styles
from Bandung. The other piece presented for the 2005 Festival, Kembang
Boled, draws its inspiration from the folk dance style from Subang
called Bajidoran. The movement draws from several elements, Sundanese
martial arts, Indian Bhangra, and American Hip Hop. The word "bajidoran"
is said to be an anacronym from a larger phrase meaning, "group
of rebellious people."
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