Proudly Indonesian, Jane Chen grew up in the tumultuous
city of Jakarta surrounded by colorful people. Jane has taken
up many occupations and professions in her life - ceramic
arts graduate, fashion/product designer, aromatherapist, martial
arts practitioner. More recently, she founded On Stage, a
local theatrical group presenting contemporary dance and stage
productions. Jane now lives in a bungalow-cum-actor’s-studio
in one of the back lanes of Seminyak, but soon will be moving
into her new Javanese home in Canggu from where she will teach
martial arts and dance, as well as hold planning meetings
with her staff on upcoming OnStage events and develop her
new brainchild: The Sutasoma Institution for Arts and Cultural
Perspective through Performing Arts and Human Development.
What are your hobbies?
Hobbies change and evolve through life, fulfilling different
needs and whims at different times and situations. When I
was 13, I collected magazine articles on design, handkerchiefs
of different prints and embroideries. At one time, around
1983, I also collected turtles, be they made of clay, porcelain,
wood, bamboo, crystal, glass, papier-mache, stone, even gold!
I have slowed down collecting turtles, since I now have more
than 300 pieces. I also collect Isey Miyake and Kenzo’s
handkerchiefs and plan to one day put them together and create
an exhibit.
Why and how did you first become interested in dance and theater?
When I was little I was always dancing and singing and I thought
that was all I ever wanted to do in life. But when I turned
18, my life changed because there were so many things that
captured my attention and curiosity. My love of dance didn’t
return until I was around 40 years old when I started to explore
my passion for expressing emotions through body movement.
Have you studied acting and the performing arts yourself?
Academically, no. But in the past 10 years I have spent weeks
and months seeking out masters and have had many “one-on-one”
sessions, watching them rehearse and spending as much time
as I can with them in order to capture the essence of their
artistic natures.
Does Bali have a great variety of multicultural theatrical
venues?
On this island I think we are seeing a real shift in the way
people define entertainment. We are seeing a movement away
from the traditional approach of presenting Balinese or Western
theater forms into a broader exposure and appreciation of
a variety of international performing arts.
How did you first become involved in On Stage?
I don’t know, really. I seemed to have woken up one
morning and said to myself, “Yes, it’s got to
be done! It’s time to start something new and it’s
been long over due!” So I got together with a couple
of close friends to get their opinions and from there went
on straightaway to actually establishing a theater company.
What kinds of performances and events does On Stage put on?
We present contemporary dance and theater performances in
which we feature well trained, professional dancers, actors,
choreographers, stage managers and lighting experts. We also
conduct regular workshops, show selected high quality avant-garde
and art films, and we are even thinking about holding seminars.
How often are your events presented and where?
We try to stage performances at least four times a year until
we can afford to hold monthly events. They are usually put
on in a ballroom or amphitheater of a 5-star hotel, private
theater and other appropriate venue.
Who makes up your audiences?
Gosh, everyone! Our audiences consist of a great collection
of people - supporters of the arts, people who like to see
something different, kids with their parents, international
tourists - all sorts. We also do specific shows for the school
communities.
Have any of your productions ever been censored?
We have our own censoring team especially when we stage a
production in which there will be young students in the audience.
But we don’t want to be too censorious as one of the
purposes of theater is to stimulate thought and provoke discussion.
Have you ever staged a controversial event that drew criticism
from the community or the authorities?
Not really. Our Japanese dance troupe last year caused some
controversy amongst the younger audience and created some
lively discussion among the students on “What is art?”
But because it generated all that debate is a positive for
us!
On Stage’s email contact : events@TheOnStage.com
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact : <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
Copyright@2007 Al Hickey
You can read all past articles of Siapa
at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz
