Didik with reporter
Acclaimed Indonesian folk dancer, Didik Nini Thowok, and his associate ran a two day program, sponsored by Paguyuban Jawa Plus, in Los Angeles on April 30th and May 1st. The program was meant to instill an exchange of culture, through the fusion of different dance styles. The main message and tagline for the performance that night was a “harmony between two worlds.”
Consul Gen. RI-LA Mr. Hadi Martono expressed his appreciation to all participants
On the first day of the program, Didik collaborated with a local dance artist to teach a workshop about the culture and style of Indonesia folklore dance, both Javanese and Balinese styles. When the students performed the following day, they danced a fusion of the two styles and gave wonderful performances, which were met with resounding applause. Tears of laughter and explosions of cheers filled the room as the students implemented some of Didik’s classic comedic movements and adlibbed some of their own witty dialogue.
Nevertheless, Didik Nini Thowok stole the spotlight after performing a comedic, yet graceful dance with ever-changing masks and personas. Indonesian Consul General, the Honorable Mr. Hadi Martono was proud to extend his support for the program, and hopes that such cultural collaborations will occur more frequently in the future, in hopes of exposing the Indonesian culture abroad. Mr. Tekat Santosam the senior advisor of Paguyuban Jawa Plus, also addressed his positive view of the organization.
Fiki Oktanio
Didik Nini Thowok was born in Temanggung, Indonesia to his father, Kwe Yoe Liang, and his mother, Suminah. He was born with the name Kwe Tjoen An, but since his family was forced to change their last names to Hadiprayitno, his true legal name is Didik Hadiprayitno.
As a young schoolboy, Didik was a talented dancer and a singer. He got his start in dancing when he was 12 years old, and
Mr.Tekat Santosa
learned from some local teachers in his area. In 1971, he created his own dance called Tari Persembahan, which combined Java and Bali classical dance.
He then enrolled into the Academy Seni Tari Indonesia, located in Yogyakarta, in 1974. Three years later, he created his own dance school named Natia Lakshita. The school is now a vocational dance academy.
Finally, he earned his bachelor’s degree from ISI (Institute Seni Indonesia) in 1982. Today he is a celebrated dancer that bridges two distinct cultures together to create a unique dance style that is much loved and learned by many people. His dancing is a “harmony between two worlds.”
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