"Masks and Selves in Contemporary Java: the Dances of Didik Nini Thowok"
A talk by Jan Mrázek
The introduction to Jan's talk:
The arts scene in contemporary Java evades easy characterization: it is a
diverse and unpredictable landscape, and focusing on a single force, agent,
or movement risks concealing the multiple forces, contradictions,
transformations, and the variety of creatures in that landscape. This essay
is a reflection on the dances performed by the popular Indonesian dancer,
choreographer, comedian, and make-up artist Didik Nini Thowok (born 1954 in
Temanggung, Central Java). Didik dances around and laughs at the question"Who am I?" I do not dispute the importance of tradition if it is seen as a
kind of rooted-ness in existing artistic and social structures, values and
sensibilities that survive from the past and live and change in the present.
Nor do I dispute the importance of seeing Didik's dances in the context of
the contemporary artistic landscape, for his art shares many trends with
other performances and in many ways it is an expression of the cultural
climate and historical times in which he lives. However, I take special
interest here in the individual and the personal, and in the question "Who
am I?" that I sense in Didik's dances. I reflect on how Didik's dances
relate to Didik's own individual personality and the life experiences
through which he perceives the world and orients himself in it.
During his talk, Jan showed a video of Didik performing one of dances, which
graphically illustrated many of the point discussed in his paper.
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