Jakarta, the vibrant capital of Indonesia, is a melting pot of cultures, traditions, and art forms. In recent years, the city has witnessed a surge in cultural events that celebrate modern dance forms. These events not only showcase the rich cultural diversity of Indonesia but also provide a platform for contemporary and fusion dance styles to flourish. In this article, we will delve into the world of modern dance forms as they take center stage at cultural events in some of Jakarta’s hottest spots.
The Fusion of Tradition and Innovation
Modern dance forms in Jakarta are a testament to the dynamic fusion of tradition and innovation. Indonesia is known for its traditional dances like the Javanese, Balinese, and Sundanese, each deeply rooted in its respective culture. However, modern dance artists and choreographers are blending these classical styles with contemporary movements, music, and themes.
Cultural Events as Showcases
Cultural events serve as the perfect showcases for these innovative modern dance forms. One such event is the Jakarta International Dance Festival (JIDF), held annually at Taman Ismail Marzuki. JIDF features a diverse array of dance performances, including traditional Indonesian dance, contemporary ballet, and experimental modern dance.
At JIDF, audiences can witness how modern dance forms have evolved to incorporate elements of hip-hop, jazz, and even acrobatics while still maintaining their cultural essence. These performances often leave spectators mesmerized by the seamless blend of tradition and innovation.
Another hotspot for modern dance is the Salihara Arts Center, which hosts regular dance performances and workshops. Here, you can experience the avant-garde side of modern dance, with artists pushing the boundaries of movement and expression. These performances often challenge conventional notions of dance and offer a unique perspective on contemporary artistry.
The Influence of Global Trends
Modern dance forms in Jakarta are not limited to Indonesian influences alone. The city is also influenced by global trends in dance. With the advent of social media and easy access to international dance styles, Jakarta’s dance scene has embraced a wide range of influences from around the world.
For instance, urban dance styles like hip-hop and street dance have gained immense popularity among Jakarta’s youth. Join Dancelifex for kpop classes to explore the city’s diverse dance culture. Dance crews and solo dancers are often seen performing at cultural events and hotspots like Kemang and Senayan. These styles bring an urban edge to the city’s dance culture, attracting a diverse audience.
The Importance of Education and Workshops
Modern dance in Jakarta wouldn’t be what it is today without the dedication of educators and choreographers. Many dance schools and academies in the city offer classes in various modern dance forms, ensuring that the art continues to thrive.
Workshops and masterclasses conducted by renowned international dancers and choreographers have become a regular feature of Jakarta’s cultural events. These opportunities allow aspiring dancers to learn from the best in the field and bring new techniques and perspectives to their performances.
Preserving Cultural Heritage
While modern dance forms in Jakarta continue to evolve, they also play a vital role in preserving cultural heritage. Many choreographers and dancers draw inspiration from traditional Indonesian dances, infusing them with contemporary elements to create captivating performances. This fusion not only keeps the rich cultural traditions alive but also makes them accessible to a wider audience.
One example of this preservation can be seen in contemporary reinterpretations of the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics. These timeless stories have been passed down through generations in Indonesia, and modern dance forms provide a fresh and innovative way to retell them.
Conclusion
Jakarta’s cultural events and hotspots are a testament to the city’s vibrant dance scene, where modern dance forms thrive through a fusion of tradition, innovation, and global influences. Whether you are an enthusiast, an artist, or simply someone looking to experience the beauty of dance, Jakarta’s modern dance culture offers a diverse and enriching experience. So, the next time you find yourself in the capital of Indonesia, be sure to explore the world of modern dance at one of its cultural events or hotspots, and prepare to be captivated by the dynamic and ever-evolving artistry on display.
About Jakarta
Jakarta (/dʒəˈkɑːrtə/; Indonesian pronunciation: [dʒaˈkarta] ⓘ, Betawi: Jakarté), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (Indonesian: Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) and formerly Batavia, is the capital and largest metropolis of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world’s most populous island, Jakarta is the largest metropole in Southeast Asia, and serves as the diplomatic capital of ASEAN. Jakarta is bordered by two Sundanese provinces: West Java to the south and east; and, since 2000, Banten to the west. Its coastline faces the Java Sea to the north, and it shares a maritime border with Lampung to the west.
Jakarta is the economic, cultural, and political centre of Indonesia. It possesses a province-level status and has a population of 10,679,951 as of mid-2022.[11] Although Jakarta extends over only 661.23 km2 (255.30 sq mi) and thus has the smallest area of any Indonesian province, its metropolitan area covers 9,957.08 km2 (3,844.45 sq mi), which includes the satellite cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang, and Bekasi, and has an estimated population of 35 million as of 2022, making it the largest urban area in Indonesia and the second-largest in the world (after Tokyo). Jakarta ranks first among the Indonesian provinces in the human development index. Jakarta’s business and employment opportunities, along with its ability to offer a potentially higher standard of living compared to other parts of the country, have attracted migrants from across the Indonesian archipelago, making it a melting pot of numerous cultures.
Jakarta is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Southeast Asia. Established in the fourth century as Sunda Kelapa, the city became an important trading port for the Sunda Kingdom. At one time, it was the de facto capital of the Dutch East Indies, when it was known as Batavia. Jakarta was officially a city within West Java until 1960 when its official status was changed to a province with special capital region distinction. As a province, its government consists of five administrative cities and one administrative regency. Jakarta is an alpha world city and is the seat of the ASEAN secretariat. Financial institutions such as the Bank of Indonesia, Indonesia Stock Exchange, and corporate headquarters of numerous Indonesian companies and multinational corporations are located in the city. In 2021, the city’s GRP PPP was estimated at US$602.946 billion.
Jakarta’s main challenges include rapid urban growth, ecological breakdown, gridlocked traffic, congestion, and flooding. Jakarta is sinking up to 17 cm (6.7 inches) annually, which has made the city more prone to flooding and one of the fastest-sinking capitals in the world. In response to these challenges, in August 2019, President Joko Widodo announced his agreement with an official study that the capital of Indonesia would be moved from Jakarta to the planned city of Nusantara, in the province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The Parliament approved the move on 18 January 2022.
Name
Jakarta has been home to multiple settlements. Below is the list of names used during its existence:
- Sunda Kelapa (397–1527)
- Jayakarta (1527–1619)
- Batavia (1619–1942)
- Djakarta (1942–1972)
- Jakarta (1972–present)
The name ‘Jakarta’ is derived from the word Jayakarta (Devanagari: जयकर्त) which is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit जय jaya (victorious),[12] and कृत krta (accomplished, acquired),[13] thus Jayakarta translates as ‘victorious deed’, ‘complete act’ or ‘complete victory’. It was named for the Muslim troops of Fatahillah which successfully defeated and drove the Portuguese away from the city in 1527.[14] Before it was called Jayakarta, the city was known as ‘Sunda Kelapa’. Tomé Pires, a Portuguese apothecary, wrote the name of the city in his magnum opus as Jacatra or Jacarta[15] during his journey to the East Indies.
In the 17th century, the city was known as Koningin van het Oosten (Queen of the Orient), a name that was given for the urban beauty of downtown Batavia’s canals, mansions and ordered city layout.[16] After expanding to the south in the 19th century, this nickname came to be more associated with the suburbs (e.g. Menteng and the area around Merdeka Square), with their wide lanes, green spaces and villas.[17] During the Japanese occupation, the city was renamed as Jakaruta Tokubetsu-shi (ジャカルタ特別市, Jakarta Special City).[18]
History
The north coast area of western Java including Jakarta was the location of prehistoric Buni culture that flourished from 400 BC to 100 AD.[19] The area in and around modern Jakarta was part of the 4th-century Sundanese kingdom of Tarumanagara, one of the oldest Hindu kingdoms in Indonesia.[20] The area of North Jakarta around Tugu became a populated settlement in the early 5th century. The Tugu inscription (probably written around 417 AD) discovered in Batutumbuh hamlet, Tugu village, Koja, North Jakarta, mentions that King Purnawarman of Tarumanagara undertook hydraulic projects; the irrigation and water drainage project of the Chandrabhaga river and the Gomati river near his capital.[21] Following the decline of Tarumanagara, its territories, including the Jakarta area, became part of the Hindu Kingdom of Sunda. From the 7th to the early 13th century, the port of Sunda was under the Srivijaya maritime empire. According to the Chinese source, Chu-fan-chi, written circa 1225, Chou Ju-kua reported in the early 13th century that Srivijaya still ruled Sumatra, the Malay peninsula and western Java (Sunda).[22] The source says the port of Sunda is strategic and thriving, mentioning pepper from Sunda as among the best in quality. The people worked in agriculture, and their houses were built on wooden piles.[23] The harbour area became known as Sunda Kelapa, (Sundanese: ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ ᮊᮨᮜᮕ) and by the 14th century, it was an important trading port for the Sunda Kingdom.
The first European fleet, four Portuguese ships from Malacca, arrived in 1513 while looking for a route to obtain spices.[24] The Sunda Kingdom made an alliance treaty with the Portuguese by allowing them to build a port in 1522 to defend against the rising power of Demak Sultanate from central Java.[14] In 1527, Fatahillah, a Pasai-born military commander of Demak attacked and conquered Sunda Kelapa, driving out the Portuguese. Sunda Kelapa was renamed Jayakarta,[14] and became a fiefdom of the Banten Sultanate, which became a major Southeast Asian trading centre.
Through the relationship with Prince Jayawikarta of the Banten Sultanate, Dutch ships arrived in 1596. In 1602, the British East India Company‘s first voyage, commanded by Sir James Lancaster, arrived in Aceh and sailed on to Banten where they were allowed to build a trading post. This site became the centre of British trade in the Indonesian archipelago until 1682.[25] Jayawikarta is thought to have made trading connections with the British merchants, rivals of the Dutch, by allowing them to build houses directly across from the Dutch buildings in 1615.[24]
Colonial era
When relations between Prince Jayawikarta and the Dutch deteriorated, his soldiers attacked the Dutch fortress. His army and the British, however, were defeated by the Dutch, in part owing to the timely arrival of Jan Pieterszoon Coen. The Dutch burned the British fort and forced them to retreat on their ships. The victory consolidated Dutch power, and they renamed the city Batavia in 1619.
Commercial opportunities in the city attracted native and especially Chinese and Arab immigrants. This sudden population increase created burdens on the city. Tensions grew as the colonial government tried to restrict Chinese migration through deportations. Following a revolt, 5,000 Chinese were massacred by the Dutch and natives on 9 October 1740, and the following year, Chinese inhabitants were moved to Glodok outside the city walls.[26] At the beginning of the 19th century, around 400 Arabs and Moors lived in Batavia, a number that changed little during the following decades. Among the commodities traded were fabrics, mainly imported cotton, batik and clothing worn by Arab communities.[27]
The city began to expand further south as epidemics in 1835 and 1870 forced residents to move away from the port. The Koningsplein, now Merdeka Square was completed in 1818, the housing park of Menteng was started in 1913,[28] and Kebayoran Baru was the last Dutch-built residential area.[26] By 1930, Batavia had more than 500,000 inhabitants,[29] including 37,067 Europeans.[30]
On 5 March 1942, the Japanese captured Batavia from Dutch control, and the city was named Jakarta (Jakarta Special City (ジャカルタ特別市, Jakaruta tokubetsu-shi), under the special status that was assigned to the city). After the war, the Dutch name Batavia was internationally recognised until full Indonesian independence on 27 December 1949. The city, now renamed Jakarta, was officially proclaimed the national capital of Indonesia.
Independence era
After World War II ended, Indonesian nationalists declared independence on 17 August 1945,[31] and the government of Jakarta City was changed into the Jakarta National Administration in the following month. During the Indonesian National Revolution, Indonesian Republicans withdrew from Allied-occupied Jakarta and established their capital in Yogyakarta.
After securing full independence, Jakarta again became the national capital in 1950.[26] With Jakarta selected to host the 1962 Asian Games, Sukarno, envisaging Jakarta as a great international city, instigated large government-funded projects with openly nationalistic and modernist architecture.[32] Projects included a cloverleaf interchange, a major boulevard (Jalan MH Thamrin-Sudirman), monuments such as The National Monument, Hotel Indonesia, a shopping centre, and a new building intended to be the headquarters of CONEFO. In October 1965, Jakarta was the site of an abortive coup attempt in which six top generals were killed, precipitating a violent anti-communist purge which killed at least 500,000 people, including some ethnic Chinese.[33] The event marked the beginning of Suharto’s New Order. The first government was led by a mayor until the end of 1960 when the office was changed to that of a governor. The last mayor of Jakarta was Soediro until he was replaced by Soemarno Sosroatmodjo as governor.
In 1966, Jakarta was declared a ‘special capital region’ (Daerah Khusus Ibukota), with a status equivalent to that of a province.[34] Based on law No. 5 of 1974 relating to regional governments, the Jakarta Special Capital Region was confirmed as the capital of Indonesia and one of the country’s then 26 provinces.[35] Lieutenant General Ali Sadikin served as governor from 1966 to 1977; he rehabilitated roads and bridges, encouraged the arts, built hospitals and a large number of schools. He cleared out slum dwellers for new development projects — some for the benefit of the Suharto family,[36]— and attempted to eliminate rickshaws and ban street vendors. He began control of migration to the city to stem overcrowding and poverty.[37] Foreign investment contributed to a real estate boom that transformed the face of Jakarta.[38] The boom ended with the 1997 Asian financial crisis, putting Jakarta at the centre of violence, protest, and political manoeuvring.
After three decades in power, support for President Suharto began to wane. Tensions peaked when four students were shot dead at Trisakti University by security forces. Four days of riots and violence in 1998 ensued that killed an estimated 1,200, and destroyed or damaged 6,000 buildings, forcing Suharto to resign.[39] Much of the rioting targeted Chinese Indonesians.[40] In the post-Suharto era, Jakarta has remained the focal point of democratic change in Indonesia.[41] Jemaah Islamiah-connected bombings occurred almost annually in the city between 2000 and 2005,[26] with another in 2009.[42] In August 2007, Jakarta held its first-ever election to choose a governor as part of a nationwide decentralisation program that allows direct local elections in several areas. Previously, governors were elected by the city’s legislative body.[43]
During the Jokowi presidency, the Government adopted a plan to move Indonesia’s capital to East Kalimantan.[44]
Between 2016 and 2017, a series of terrorist attacks rocked Jakarta with scenes of multiple suicide bombings and gunfire. In suspicion to its links, the Islamic State, the perpetrator led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Geography
Jakarta covers 661.23 km2 (255.30 sq mi), the smallest among any Indonesian provinces. However, its metropolitan area covers 6,392 km2 (2,468 sq mi), which extends into the two bordering provinces of West Java and Banten.[45] The Greater Jakarta area includes three bordering regencies (Bekasi Regency, Tangerang Regency and Bogor Regency) and five adjacent cities (Bogor, Depok, Bekasi, Tangerang and South Tangerang).
Jakarta is situated on the northwest coast of Java, at the mouth of the Ciliwung River on Jakarta Bay, an inlet of the Java Sea. It is strategically located near the Sunda Strait. The northern part of Jakarta is plain land, some areas of which are below sea level,[46] and subject to frequent flooding. The southern parts of the city are hilly. It is one of only two Asian capital cities located in the southern hemisphere (along with East Timor‘s Dili). Officially, the area of the Jakarta Special District is 661.23 km2 (255 sq mi) of land area and 6,977 km2 (2,694 sq mi) of sea area.[47] The Thousand Islands, which are administratively a part of Jakarta, are located in Jakarta Bay, north of the city. The northern part of Jakarta is below sea level, having been built on tidal flats and reclaimed swamp land.
Jakarta lies in a low and flat alluvial plain, ranging from −2 to 91 m (−7 to 299 ft) with an average elevation of 8 m (26 ft) above sea level with historically extensive swampy areas. Some parts of the city have been constructed on reclaimed tidal flats that occur around the area.[48] Thirteen rivers flow through Jakarta. They are Ciliwung River, Kalibaru, Pesanggrahan, Cipinang, Angke River, Maja, Mookervart, Krukut, Buaran, West Tarum, Cakung, Petukangan, Sunter River and Grogol River.[49][50] They flow from the Puncak highlands to the south of the city, then across the city northwards towards the Java Sea. The Ciliwung River divides the city into the western and eastern districts.
These rivers, combined with the wet season rains and insufficient drainage due to clogging, make Jakarta prone to flooding.
Moreover, Jakarta is sinking about 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) each year, and up to 20 cm (7.9 in) in the northern coastal areas. After a feasibility study, a ring dyke known as Giant Sea Wall Jakarta is under construction around Jakarta Bay to help cope with the threat from the sea. The dyke will be equipped with a pumping system and retention areas to defend against seawater and function as a toll road. The project is expected to be completed by 2025.[51] In January 2014, the central government agreed to build two dams in Ciawi, Bogor and a 1.2 km (0.75 mi) tunnel from Ciliwung River to Cisadane River to ease flooding in the city.[52] Nowadays, a 1.2 km (0.75 mi), with capacity 60 m3 (2,100 cu ft) per second, underground water tunnel between Ciliwung River and the East Flood Canal is being worked on to ease the Ciliwung River overflows.[53] In 2023, the New York Times reported that in some places Jakarta is sinking up to 12 inches (30 cm) annually.[54]
Environmental advocates point out that subsidence is driven by the extraction of groundwater, much of it illegal. Furthermore, the government’s lack of strict regulation amplifies the issue as many recently built high-rise buildings, corporations, and factories around Jakarta opt for illegally extracting groundwater. In fact, in a recent inspection of 80 buildings in Jalan Thamrin, a busy road lined with skyscrapers and shopping malls, 56 buildings had a groundwater pump, and 33 were pumping groundwater illegally.[55] This could be halted by stopping extraction (as the city of Tokyo has done), increasing efficiency, and finding other sources for water use. Moreover, increasing regulation through higher taxes or limiting groundwater pumping has proven to help cities like Shanghai, Tokyo, and San Jose relieve their subsidence issue.[56] The rivers of Jakarta are highly polluted and currently unsuitable for drinking water.[57]
Architecture
Jakarta has architecturally significant buildings spanning distinct historical and cultural periods. Architectural styles reflect Malay, Javanese, Arabic, Chinese and Dutch influences.[58] External influences inform the architecture of the Betawi house. The houses were built of nangka wood (Artocarpus integrifolia) and comprised three rooms. The shape of the roof is reminiscent of the traditional Javanese joglo.[59] Additionally, the number of registered cultural heritage buildings has increased.[60]
DanceLife X Indonesia
Address: Mall Aeon Tanjung Barat, Tj. Bar., Kec. Jagakarsa, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 12530, Indonesia
Call: +62 811-1000-7911
Email: admin@digicompla.com
Socials