" Rasa Dari Tari - The soul of dance" is an introduction to the vibrant diversity of contemporary dance in Indonesia. Rooted both in tradition and the idioms of modern movement this half hour documentary introduces audiences to work ranging from site-specific solos to multimedia musical theater. The documentary includes excerpts from six works.

Tom Ibnur‘s Padusi is an entertaining spectacle with brilliant costumes and a company of enthusiastic young dancers. It’s a popular work updating a story based on tradition.

Sherly Novalinda’s dance film Bodies of Malay captures the progress of women from West Sumatra Indonesia who traditionally were forbidden to dance.

The Red Shawl/Selendang Merah is the final part of Garin Nugroho’s, Opera Jawa Trilogy. Nugroho is one of the most acclaimed film directors working in Indonesia today. This piece seamlessly adapts a traditional story, combined with contemporary expression in a live performance.

Jecko Siompo was raised in the jungles of Papua, at the eastern edge of the Indonesian archipelago. His work, In Front of Papua, is a unique combination of “animal movement” and hip-hop. Not such a stretch, since his grandmother assures him that “hip-hop came from Papua.”

Yola Yulfianti’s Update Status is a solo performed by Rizki Suharlin Putri in Kalimantan (the Indonesian portion of Borneo). The dancer moves before an enormous open pit coal mine. The contrast between her and the scarred industrialized landscape reflects the scale of the changes underway in Indonesia today.

Body Without a Brain is a high risk, physically demanding performance. Rianto seems to be in a trance as he creates an unpremeditated encounter with the elements. He describes the work as like a tree without roots. The piece embodies anxiety as the natural world becomes ever more threatened.

YEAR OF RELEASE
2014

RUNTIME
26 minutes

FILM CREDITS
Producer/Director
Mark Freeman

Cinematographers
Purbo Wahyono
Batara Goempar Siagian

Editors
Mark Freeman
Cari Ann Shim Sham

More information: www.markfreemanfilms.org

Mark Freeman, a documentary filmmaker is a Professor of Television, Film and New Media in the School of Theatre, Television and Film at San Diego State University. He has produced and directed, written and edited programs for broadcast on American public television. Freeman's documentaries have won numerous awards including a Gold Apple at the National Educational Film and Video Festival, a Certificate of Merit at the Chicago International Film Festival and a Red Ribbon at the American Film and Video Festival. They are in the collection of libraries and universities throughout the country, and have screened at museums (...)

Source: Mark Freeman Films

More information: markfreemanfilms.org