Koleksi Video

Jecko Siompo, born in Papua in 1975, studied at the Jakarta Art Institute (IKJ). He began to work on his own choreographies at an early age and created a number of works while still studying at the institute, including Goda, Ini Budi, Irian Zoom In, Asmat Dani, Obahorok, Buto Huruf, Unanuk, Tikus-Tikus, Di Kamar Kost, In Front Of Papua and Terima Kost.
As a dancer and choreographer, Siompo has participated in international dance meetings in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Denmark, Australia, USA, France, and Taiwan.

In 2007 he was invited to Bangkok in Thailand, and to the Asia Contemporary Dance Festival in Osaka and the Asian Dance Conference 2007 in Tokyo, Japan. Jecko is also a member of the jury on the popular Indonesian television programme Lets Dance.


Artist Statement

“Although I am inspired by traditions, the work process still has to be modern.”
Jecko Siompo


Portrait

Describing the human soul: Jecko Siompo draws on the philosophy of tradition to work in the here and now

Works of art are always reflections on human life and this is also true of choreography. Jeck Kurniawan Siompo Pui, also known as Jecko Siompo, strives to represent lived reality in his choreographic works. In Jecko’s philosophy of art, the stage is a canvas on which the choreographer paints a picture human life.

Choreography is more than a way of relating to space

“To my mind, choreography is an image that has been created by humans, transferred into another form, and taken to another place – a stage, for example,” he explains. In his artistic vision, choreography is not simply a way of relating to space, it also references other functions, such as rituals, which speak of its backgrounds and origins.

Jecko Siompo’s unique talent for combining traditional Papuan movements with modern dance has made him a choreographer to be reckoned with in Indonesia.

Like many other Indonesian choreographers, Jecko has studied dance since his childhood. Beginning in a dance studio in his home region in Papua, he was admitted to the Performing Arts Faculty of the Arts Institute Jakarta (IKJ) in 1994. With his traditional Papuan style Jecko stood out among the other students and he was soon selected to perform a work by Canadian Peter Chin at the Indonesia Dance Festival.

Exploring trivial social events

All of Jecko’s works carry his unique signature and explore seemingly trivial social encounters which, in fact, reveal much about the human soul. By presenting his insights as parodies, Jecko enables his viewers to agree with his ideas without feeling patronized.

His approach to dance work is strongly influenced by his vision of what choreography should be. According to Jecko, choreography combines the modern with the traditional. “In other words, although I am inspired by traditions, the work process still has to be modern. In Front of Papua, for example, is inspired by traditional movements, but presents these in a very modern fashion. In some ways this is a Papuan creation and not my work at all. All I did was to draw on Papuan philosophy because I love my traditional roots,” he explains.

Jecko has won numerous awards throughout his career. In 1997, he was named Best Choreographer at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Arts Centre) Choreography Awards, and again at the Dance Festival of the Jakarta Department for Culture in 2000. But Jecko is also a commercially-minded artist. He was member of the jury at an urban street-dance contest staged by a private TV station and worked on the choreographies for the films Opera Jawa (2006), Laskar Pelangi (2008) and Generasi Biru (2009).

But his commercial success has not led Jecko to neglect his ideals. Progress and development are the keys to his creations: “I emphasize two aspects: history – in other words, the creations of the past – and I develop new works of art by referring to this past.” /Dewi Ria Utari


Selected Works

Betamax ke DVD (Betamax to DVD) (2009)
What Existed (2008)
Terima Kost (Room for rent) (2007)
In Front of Papua (2005)
Tikus Tikus (Rats) (2003)
Unanuk (2001)
Sketsa Impian (Dream sketch) (1999)
Irian Zoom In (1998)
Goda (Temptation) (1997)
Kontemp Error (1995)