July 21: Expressions of Experience brings global dances to UH

In 1975, an art student at the University of Hawaii began studying Javanese dance. Thirty-five years later he shares his choreographies that reflect his life.

Expressions of Experience, a 35th anniversary presentation features dances created and performed by Garrett Kam on Wednesday, July 21 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Earl Ernst Lab Theatre, part of the Kennedy Theatre at UH Manoa. Admission is free.

Puspayoga (2006; 13 minutes)

Based on Javanese classical dance in the Yogyakarta style, this refined male solo honors all teachers past, present and future. It was inspired by a supernatural visit in Bali from Garrett’s late dance teacher, Sasminta Mardawa, at the exact moment of the earthquake on 27 May 2006 that devastated Yogyakarta. The solo song warns about being boastful from acquiring knowledge and advises to listen to the inner voice for guidance. The title means ‘Blossoming Meditation’ with Javanese vocal and gamelan music from the sultan’s palace in Yogyakarta.

costume change interlude (“Hamachijuyaa” played by Gamelan Sanga, Okinawa)

Oki-Jawa Journeys (2007 and 2008; 14 minutes)

Inspired by historical and cultural links between Okinawa and Java, these three dances blend movements from these two islands. “Hi, Sigh!” is a word play on the Okinawan “Haisai!” (Hello!) and Indonesian slang “Hai, sayang!” (Hey, sweetie!); a Javanese dance scarf is manipulated like an Okinawan flower garland using gentle female style dance. “Eisaa-ruu” blends movements from lively Okinawan eisaa dances done to welcome ancestral spirits with Javanese monkey dance; saaruu in Okinawan means ‘monkey’. “Fan-tasy” uses two fans which are manipulated like a Javanese dance sash and uses refined male movements. The musical pieces are by the groups Hae (Okinawa), Ukwanshin Kabudan (Hawaii), and Banjar Teretai Capung (Bali and Java), with interludes by Singaporean composer Dzul Rabul Jalil and Okinawan pop group Nenes.
costume change interlude (“Ashimizu Bushi” played by Gamelan Sanga, Okinawa)

Wayang Sampur-na (2010; 40 minutes)

In Javanese, sampurna means “ideal, perfect, pure”. A sampur is a long cloth sash used in Javanese dance to accentuate and extend movements. In this wayang (performance), dance sashes are used in different ways for presenting some of the most important scenes from the Ramayana, the eternal epic of devotion, separation and reunion. Masks and puppets of characters are created on stage with different colored sampur, animated and then pulled apart as the story unfolds with short narration between episodes. Mostly danced in the Javanese court style from Yogyakarta with some new interpretations, the performance includes elements from other parts of Indonesia (Bali and West Java), Okinawa, Taiwan, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, India and Sri Lanka, as well as some improvisation and contemporary movements. This also is an autobiographical work of places visited and cultures studied by Garrett since 1975. A short Javanese dance introduces the four major character court styles of ogre king Ravana, monkey warrior Hanuman, refined hero Rama, and princess Sita. Narrative scenes are danced to traditional Javanese and Balinese melodies arranged for Western instruments by Canadian ethnomusicologist Colin McPhee, with opening and closing scenes using Asian inspired film music by Australian composer Elizabeth Drake.