Korean dance group to close art summit

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A work by a Korean choreographer will close Art Summit Indonesia V 2007 at the Graha Bhakti Budayal hall at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta on Nov. 29 and 30.

The choreographer, Ahn Ae-soon, combines movements from traditional Korean dances and modern dance in her work The White Noise, which illustrates the daily pressures on modern society through a humorous lens.

A Korean Embassy counsellor, Yoon Moon-han, said Ahn Ae-soon thought that many people were insensitive to the sounds around them.

"However, people feel afraid if there is no sound," he said.

"White noise" is a term used to refer to a sound that blends all audible frequencies equally over the range of the frequency band. It neutralizes surrounding sounds and is often used to reduce general noise.

In Ae-soon's work, all sounds -- footsteps, water bubbling through a fountain, a pop song -- blend together.

Ahn has staged more than 70 performances in her home country and 30 performances abroad over the last 20 years. She is listed as one of Korea's best dancers in the Oxford Dictionary of Dance (2000).

ASI V 2007 will be The White Noise's second performance, said Yoon, after it was presented in Korea in January this year.

"This contemporary art is very rare for Indonesians and also Koreans who live in Indonesia. I hope people will come to appreciate the performance," he said.

The 70-minutes dance is divided into eight chapters and two intermissions, which are filled with animations.

ASI's chairperson for production Ratna Riantiarno said Ae-Soon's dancers will collaborate with 10 local dancers from Teater Indonesia.

"Our local dancers will help them enliven the atmosphere at the end of the show," she said.

"I guarantee the show will be spectacular and unique as the group brought a cargo-load of equipment, which includes a conveyor," she added.

Tickets are Rp 40,000 (about US$4.29) for members of the general public and Rp 20,000 ($2.14) for students.

Ratna said ASI was meant to introduce contemporary arts to Indonesians. "Many Indonesians think that contemporary arts are hard to understand, however, they don't need to understand the art. Just enjoy the show." (adt)