Time & Date: 12:30-13:20, 11th Dec. 2020
Location: Grand Hall, College of Liberal Arts, National Taiwan University
Featuring: Anastasia Melati, Ching-wen Chen, Pei-jung Chou, Ching-ching Mai, Yick-sau Lau, Wan-chao Chang, Yen-xi Chen, Yin-chen Cheng
Indonesia has a vibrant music and dance culture, ranging from traditional court to local folk arts and contemporary composition. Among the various dance cultures, Javanese court dance exhibits calmness and exquisiteness. Motions and movements of body are moderate yet solid, releasing a peaceful and quietness feeling. The gamelan music accompanying the dance has elegant melodies, making it a popular genre in world music. However, Javanese court dance is rarely performed and also learned in Taiwan, not to mention the artistic philosophy behind the traditional dance.
From 2018, Javanese court dancer Anastasia Melati from Yogyakarta has started a series of workshops on court dance. Melati, together with Taiwanese performers, will perform three dances from Yogyakarta: a basic dance Sari Kusuma, a solo dance Sekar Pudyastuti, and a group dance Srimpi Pandhelori. They not only display the combination of elegant melodies and graceful dance movements, but also show the rare opportunity of Indonesia-Taiwan performing collaboration. Melati will also explain the philosophy and aesthetics of court dance, and lead the audience to experience basic techniques and body movements.