8 July 2019
Dancers from world-class ballet company, West Australian Ballet, and talented Indonesian Youth Ensemble dancers appeared on the same stage in Jakarta last night.
The collaboration was part of the Ballet.id’s Historia: The Journey of Ballet in Indonesia performance on 7 July at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta.
Historia highlights the history of ballet in Indonesia, including the connections between Australian ballet companies and Indonesia. The Australian Ballet first performed in Indonesia in 1978, while West Australian Ballet (WAB) first performed in Jakarta 25 years ago in 1994.
The Historia performance featured a new piece created by Australian choreographer Christopher Hill for the Indonesian Youth Ensemble. Hill has spent the week in Indonesia developing the piece, sharing his expertise as a dancer and choreographer with the next generation of Indonesian talent from the Ensemble.
“This collaboration is another example of the growing links between Australia and Indonesia’s creative industries,” Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Gary Quinlan, said.
“The Historia performance is a timely reminder of our shared history and the important role the arts have played in building connections between our two countries.”
West Australian Ballet soloists Dayana Hardy Acuña and Juan Carlos Osma performed two pieces, including the famous White Swan Pas de Deux from Swan Lake.
The collaboration between Australian and Indonesian ballet communities would support a better quality ballet in Indonesia, Ballet.id’s Founder and Executive Director Mariska Febriyani said.
"Ballet.id highly appreciates this partnership and believes it will bring wider awareness into our community and offer so many creative opportunities for young generation in both countries," she said.
The West Australian Ballet has a strong relationship with Ballet.id. In 2015, they participated in the First Indonesian Ballet Gala, in 2016 they toured Jakarta and took part in activities to build the capacity of Indonesian ballet dancers and administrators.
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