Wawan Soeharto on making it as fashion show choreographer

Indonesian fashion show choreographer Wawan Soeharto, arguably one of the most brilliant and influential choreographers in the country, has been in the industry since 1997. Starting off his fashion career with a talent management agency, the pilot academy and economics graduate got his hands into choreography when he was asked to handle ESMOD Fashion Design and Business School’s opening ceremony.

“It was a new challenge for me,” said Wawan. “I learnt from a senior choreographer. I became a crew member and helped out on the event. I got to know what’s going on backstage, on stage, with lighting, and so on.”

A fashion show choreographer, in a nutshell, is the runway mastermind. Just like a dance choreographer, a fashion show choreographer is responsible for the movement on stage, from lighting to music and models.

The speed of catwalk, the pose, the sequence of outfit, the beat of the music, the flow of the runway and the timing of catwalk are the responsibilities of fashion show choreographers. How big of a model’s step on the runway is also set by the choreographer.

The mood of the audience depends on the choreography. “A runway choreography should not be flat. It has to entertain the audience. The time limit for runway is usually 30 minutes. We can adjust the music faster or slower. We decide which outfit appears on the runway first based on colour or design,” he explained. “Remember that the audience is the customers. They need to be in good mood. We help the designers sell clothes through choreography.”

Before handling ESMOD Fashion School, Plaza Senayan signed Wawan as the mall’s fashion event organiser for 5 years. “The general manager of their marketing communication division personally asked me to be the fashion choreographer. The first challenge in ESMOD prepped me to work with senior models. I learnt how to be confident around them because those models have worked with senior choreographers while I’m very new into the scene.”

He then went to a fashion week in Australia to get the feel of how fashion week runs. “There’s an agency for choreographers. There’s a 3-day training, but it’s more like a Q&A session. They taught you the technicality of making a fashion show, like what good lighting looks like, how to count the timing for models to change, how long a model stays on the stage. There’s on beat, off beat.”

During his early years of being a choreographer, Wawan has to manage his expectation with unpredicted mistakes that happened on stage. “I used to get upset when the models fell on the runway or when they forgot where to pose (blocking). I thought ‘They messed up the choreography I created!’  But here’s the thing, models are human too. Humans make mistake.” 

Aside from that, according to Wawan, there are many factors like the stage and the clothes that need to be taken into consideration. “The runway floor might be slippery and the models might have a hard time walking in the clothes. The models don’t wear the clothes during rehearsal. It took me quite a while to cope with that.”

“We have to maintain good relationship with models,” said Wawan. “I never show up to a job with a grumpy mood. There are ways to teach without throwing tantrum. If we say it nicely, they will be able to accommodate what I am asking for.”

Image: Theatrical fashion show at Plaza Senayan photographed by Teresia May via antarafoto.com

From 1997 to 2016, Wawan received 9 Indonesian World Museum Records (MURI) awards for creating unique concept of fashion runway. In 2012, he came up with the idea of having the largest number of models posing as live mannequins on fashion theatrical show in collaboration with 8 fashion designers at Plaza Senayan. The models had to stand still for 10 minutes before striding the runway. “The entire corridor of the mall was covered with models,” said Wawan.

There’s also the longest runway he did at Lippo Mall Kemang. The models had to walk on a 38-metre-long stage. He also build a runway stage on a building. First was at the now-defunct Plaza EX. It then led to an offer to create similar experience at Tunjungan Plaza in Surabaya. The models had to walk from the top of the building.

“I challenge myself to create a runway that people will enjoy,” said Wawan. “I’ve had the MURI record for hiring the largest number of models and creating the longest outdoor stage at Gelora Bung Karno. There were about 500 models that took part in the show. They had to walk along the stadium from gate 1 to 16.”

His talent as choreographer scored him offers to choreograph fashion week runways in Jakarta, Milan, Dubai, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok.

Image: Jember Fashion Carnival 2014 choreographed by Wawan Soeharta via pegipegi.com

“I never thought I would be a fashion choreographer someday,” Wawan recalled. “Back then, my dream was to bring Indonesian models overseas because there are many foreign models in Indonesia. As time goes by, I realise that many Indonesian models don’t have the mentality to stay overseas. Many of them got homesick within 2 weeks. I bury that dream six feet under.”

That doesn’t deter his mission. “I want Indonesia to become the centre of fashion in Asia. With our variety of culture and fabric, I believe we can. Right now, I’m thinking about what can take Indonesia to the global scene.” He then shifted his focus from models to Indonesian fabric like ulos, tapis and weave.

It goes to show that the starting point of a career doesn’t always determine where a person should stop. Wawan started with pilot academy, then took an economics major in Trisakti, followed by an internship in an advertising agency. It was during his stint at the advertising agency that he realised he enjoys meeting people.

After his internship, he started his journey in fashion with model and actors management agency. “I use my background in economics to run the agency.” 

His job desk continues to grow even after he has made his name as a fashion show choreographer. “I teach fashion etiquette at modelling schools, speaking manners at big companies like oil and gas firms and business etiquette in the entertainment industry at universities. It’s not bad at all,” said Wawan.

Regardless of his fame, Wawan is always on the hunt for the upcoming generation of choreographers. “I share my knowledge to my assistants, to my students. Creativity could stop at a certain point as we age, but we have to constantly deliver fresh ideas. Whenever I teach, I always tell my students that we have to understand that as a choreographer, we are dealing with human beings, not product. The goal is to be respected and appreciated, not to be feared.”