Read in Indonesian

According to a report by the Creative Economy Agency (BEKRAF), in 2017 performance arts was listed as one of the top three creative industry sub-sectors in terms of growth rates. The sub-sector, which includes wayang, dance and theatrical performances, reportedly employed 170,994 people in 2017.

Three years later, it is not illogical to believe that the number of workers within the sub-sector has grown exponentially since then. Unfortunately, performance arts professions are also some of the most affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we would like to shed a light on the plights of a particular group of creative workers who are rarely heard, but often seen and admired: dancers.

The past few months have not been easy for dancers and dance companies. Offline dance classes have been stopped or limited, live performances have been cancelled. Even wedding gigs are no longer viable due to the stricter policies on the number of people allowed to attend gatherings, leading wedding parties to prioritise guests over performers.

Aya Thayeb, a traditional and hip hop dancer, choreographer and trainer who is also a member of Kinarya GSP – a dance collective founded by Guruh Soekarno Putra – says that the pandemic’s impact on her income has been massive.

“Remember that most dancers are paid per project. Before, when I had all these projects lined up, I imagined I would be financially ‘safe’ for a few months. Obviously, that is not the case now,” Aya told TFR.

“The most significant impact on us is the number of students in our classes, which has decreased by about 80%,” a representative of Steps Dance Academy, a dance studio in Jakarta, explained.

Jessy Nirmala Sari (@jessynirmalaa), a Jakarta-based dancer and choreographer, argues that dance in Indonesia lacks appreciation, making it one of the first things to be eliminated when things go south. “Events are getting cancelled, and even if they are not, they still eliminate the dancers. The most important thing for them is that they still have the artists,” she continues.

The dance community is struggling, and to help alleviate this problem, the Jakarta Arts Council and Indonesia Dance Network collaborate with the Ministry of Education and Culture to establish ‘Saweran Online.’ The programme, which was launched on International Dance Day 2020, is a platform to showcase the expressions and talents of dancers while providing the public with a channel to support the dance community.

The word ‘saweran’ is taken from a common practice among Indonesians during art performances, in which performers will walk around the audience and those who wish to ‘nyawer’ or give money as a symbol of their appreciation may do so.

The content can be found on Indonesia Dance Network’s YouTube channel. Dancers may submit videos to be featured on the channel and a saweran link is provided on every uploaded video. However, viewers are not obligated to pay to enjoy the content.

Dancers and dance companies have to adapt to survive. And these days, adapting means going virtual. Namarina and Marlupi Dance Academy are now conducting virtual ballet lessons. Gigi Art of Dance offers virtual classes for various types of dances, ranging from ballet to jazz, hip hop and even K-Pop, although it recently started reopening its studios for adult classes with new health protocols. Their new protocols include assigning designated ‘boxes’ for each individual in class and regulating mask breaks during lessons.

While online lessons cannot fully replace offline lessons, dancers have been taking advantage of these virtual opportunities. Christine Laifa, who has studied ballet since she was two years old, enjoys practicing barre exercises at home, as practically all ballet companies in the world are posting content online.

Meanwhile, Jessy finds that virtual platforms have allowed her to explore opportunities she had not explored before due to time and distance constraints. “Now I get to teach with a friend who is based in Bandung, as well as teaching at studios outside of the ones I usually teach at.”

Sometimes, adapting means diversifying. Steps Dance Academy (@stepsdanceacademyid), for instance, began selling exclusive merchandise to boost their income during this difficult period, which was received positively not only by students, but also the general public.

In some cases, the pandemic gives way to new opportunities. Aya recently started giving private traditional dance lessons; before, she mainly gave lessons in groups. “It started as a word of mouth, beginning with my aunt whose child now stays home all the time due to the pandemic. She asked me if I would be willing to give a private lesson to her child, and I said yes,” she explains.

Her aunt then kept posting Aya’s private lessons on social media, prompting other mothers to seek her services for their children as well. “This past month, I have given about five private lessons per week, going from home to home,” she continues.

Although the pandemic has certainly made things more difficult, it would be naive to think that a lot of these problems are new to dancers. People in the Indonesian dance community have had to deal with systemic, cultural and commercial ignorance as well as a lack of appreciation for as long as they can remember.

“Companies hire me to teach dance to their employees sometimes, usually for competitions,” Aya shares. “I still have office workers asking me, “Miss, is dancing all you do? Are you not going to school?” Look, I am a university graduate. Just because dancing is my passion does not mean I am uneducated.” Meanwhile, Jessy admits that dance professions in Indonesia are still not fully appreciated, “Dancing is perceived as a hobby as opposed to a lucrative profession.”

For ballet specifically, Christine believes that there is an age-old cycle that is hard to break: “Take ballet classes, take exams, train to become a ballet teacher, then open a ballet school for those who take classes. Ballet in Indonesia is mostly about lessons.” She continues, “I wonder how the dance profession can be lucrative beyond teaching. Dancers are not seen as athletes, even though they are strong. They should be able to land endorsement deals, too, but then again who wants to if the awareness is not there?”

Dancers landing endorsement deals are not unheard of in other countries, such as American ballet dancer Misty Copeland who has collaborated with Under Armour for years.

On the flip side, dance has gained awareness recently, thanks to the ‘it’ app of the moment: TikTok. Users are sharing their dance moves by participating in TikTok challenges. Suddenly, dance – or a form of it – is everywhere, bringing lightness to this depressing time.

Conceptually, it is a no brainer that people flock to an app that allows them to express themselves through dance during a dark period. After all, dance has been a useful psychological therapy tool for a method called Dance Movement Therapy for years. The benefits include stress reduction and mood management, both crucial during the pandemic.

Dancers express mostly positive opinions to this TikTok trend. Jessy believes that the popularity of TikTok and its challenges will invite more people to like dancing or want to learn it. “This can positively affect studios and trainers if more people are interested to learn. We can also use trending TikTok songs in class to help promote the sessions,” she adds.

Ultimately, dance is a form of expression that enriches our society. And now, the people who make a living out of it need our support. Financial support, in particular, is crucial at this time. The support can come in the form of joining paid online classes, providing opportunities for private lessons, or even donating through links such as the ones provided by Saweran Online. The next best thing is to spread the word about their classes, projects, or donation links on social media and offline. Together we will dance through this pandemic.