Sri Susilowati

2 Jun, 2009

Traditional dance does not put the “no” into innovation (with apologies to the shredded wheat commercial)

2009-06-02T17:32:54-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora, Sri Susilowati|Tags: , |

The essence of the esthetics of Indonesian dance, and that particularly from the islands of Java and Bali, can be explained through three words: wirama, and wirasa. Wirama means the harmony and internal rhythm of the movement. Wiraga is the intensity and fullness of the movement not in term of its external power, but more along the lines of being filled with chi (in Chinese) or prana (Sanskrit). Soft and delicate movement can be wiraga while movement that is seemingly strong and powerful can lack it altogether. Wirasa is the feeling of the movement. The word “feeling” here is used not in sense of emotion or passion, but in term of the sensation when emotion and mental construct are set aside.

26 Sep, 2009

Work-in-progress showing

2009-09-26T13:32:41-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora, Sri Susilowati|Tags: |

The process of creating parts of the piece and showing them has been stimulating. At the showing in San Francisco, there were comments on things that surprised me. At one point I finish drinking a glass of wine and someone remarked on the how my exhalation into the glass fogged it up and thought that was quite beautiful. Another thing I do in the piece is change costume on stage while I talk. Many seemed to like this, but one

6 Nov, 2009

Giggle and Jiggle: Shaking my Booty

2009-11-06T20:03:06-08:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora, Sri Susilowati|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Sri Susilowati is a Performing Diaspora Resident Artist at CountePULSE. See her at weekend 2 of Performing Diaspora, November 12-15. Buy tickets now! As an Indonesian choreographer who has trained in my own country and the U.S.A, I am interested in looking at a social relation from a third world perspective, and in particular a third world women's perspectives. When first I moved to the States years ago, my artistic mission/intention was to introduce Indonesian dance to Americans and to

16 Aug, 2010

The Chair in My Dance

2010-08-16T19:07:15-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora, Sri Susilowati|Tags: , , , , , |

A Choreographical Investigation I am currently deep in the process of creating the piece to be performed in October. As I do this, I think about what my intentions are, what I want to convey, and what I use to embody (a good word for a choreographer) those intentions. Intentions exist on the level of creating and exploring themes, such as for this piece, the relationship between dancers and food. Intentions also exist on the level of wanting to create

14 Sep, 2010

Selling It

2010-09-14T10:38:57-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora, Sri Susilowati|Tags: , , , , , |

Sometimes I'm asked what village I grew up in. The answer is a little village of (what is now) 7.4 million people. The idea that I grew up in a ghetto area in one of world's largest cities seems to shock many people. How can the art that I learned and practice be from that environment and not from one of rice fields, palm trees, and poor but happy villagers? The deep origins of my technique are not from the

10 Oct, 2010

Creation

2010-10-10T23:01:31-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE, Performing Diaspora, Sri Susilowati|Tags: , , , , |

Creating work means following feelings as far as one can as well as using accumulated technique to express those feelings.  There is an interaction between the feeling and technique, and each feeds the other.  Unless it is a set classical piece, learned technique may not match the feeling/meaning/expression that is desired.  So, one has to experiment.  For me, the starting point is in the classical training I received.  Because the expressive range is so rich, I feel that it is

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