Black Cat Dance Theatre Bridges Malaysia And Indonesia

By Atira Khalisha Nor Adnan

BANGI, June 12 (Bernama) -- Artistic collaboration between Malaysia and Indonesia continues to flourish through the staging of Teater Tarian Kucing Hitam (Black Cat Dance Theatre) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) on June 10, bringing together arts practitioners from both countries in a cross-cultural production.

Combining dance, acting and music, the performance took audiences on a journey through a tale of love, betrayal and vengeance, while demonstrating how the arts can serve as a form of cultural diplomacy between the two neighbouring nations.

Director and scriptwriter Mohd Diani Kasian said the production, which featured 35 artistes from Malaysia and Indonesia, provided a platform to strengthen ties between the two countries through the universal language of art.

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“We want to preserve the friendship between Indonesia and Malaysia. We are of the same roots and not very different from one another. What we hope to achieve is unity through the arts,” he told Bernama after the performance here yesterday.

The 30-minute production featured a cast including Azhar Jalil as Farouk, Raden Puspita Ningrum as Juwita and Syilva Anil Hawa as Sarah, who portrayed the main characters in the narrative, while the role of the black cat was played by, among others, Dr Alfian S. Siagian and Said M. Hasan Alasyairi.

Mohd Diani, better known as Bung Kancil, said the production also blended traditional and contemporary elements, including an Indonesian dance medley by Sanggar Obor Sakti of Bogor featuring Jaipong dance and wayang orang influences.

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“This approach creates opportunities for participation from various levels of the arts community, including children, professional performers and amateur talents,” he said, adding that the production was directed by Indonesian director Dede Comex and his troupe, Studio Comex from Bandung, together with Production Director Associate Prof Dr Affiuddin Husairi Hussain.

Interestingly, despite being a cross-border production, the actors and dancers underwent only about two days of physical rehearsals before the performance, having spent a month preparing online.

Actor Alfian S. Siagian said the black cat character symbolised an evil force that tempts humans, including driving them towards dangerous actions such as murder within the storyline.

“These cats, the black cats, act like devils that tempt people. But the main message is that humans are driven by desires, and all of this can be overcome through faith,” he said, adding that the theatre production will also be staged at the Soe Hok Gie Auditorium of the University of Indonesia on Oct 18.

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Alfian, who is also a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, said portraying the role was challenging not only emotionally but also physically.

“The challenge is physical. Normally, actors would have a much longer rehearsal period, but this time preparations were quite brief. We had to adapt quickly,” he said.

He added that Malaysian representative Jibam Ramlee also performed the songs Jeritan Batinku, Terbang Burung Terbang and Petik Gitar, originally popularised by the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee.