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A CosmicWander Series

POSTCOLONIAL
SPIRITS


by Choy Ka Fai


























12-15 Aug 2021 @ HAU 1 TanzImAugust, Berlin


Postcolonial Spirits is a telepresence performance inspired by the Indonesia folk dance of
Dolalak
. The trance dance ritual from the 1930s draws upon a multi-dimensional history of traditional Javanese dance movement, imitations of partying Colonial
Dutch soldier
and melodic Islamic poems. Dolalak’s dense heritage opens up a liminal space in which dance transcends beyond the resistance of coloniality, power and
fantasy
.



        Postcolonial Spirits is an experiment with the Indonesia folk dance, Dolalak. Originating from Purworego in Central Java, Dolalak has continuously adapted to pop culture and evolved with social media. Its origin stems from traditional Javanese dance movement mixed with imitations of Colonial Dutch soldiers in cosplay party from the 1930s. The trance ritual is accompanied with songs of local mythologies, political banters and Islamic poems.

        Inspired by Dolalak’s multi-dimensional heritage, Postcolonial Spirits creates a tele-presence experiment via live streaming of motion-captured dance from Java to perform on stage in Berlin. Dutch contemporary dance artist Vincent Riebeek and Dolalak folk dancer Andri Kurniawan collaborate virtually, and speculate on the notion of tele-presence dance making for our post-pandemic world.

        Featuring Dollar folk dancer Andri Kuniawand, is one of the last remaining male dancers of Dolalak and still transmits the original dance notation from the 1930s. The reality of Dolalak today is dominated by sexy young female influencers who garner million of followers online, dancing to the tunes of the Indonesian pop genre dangdut as their contemporary repertoire. The intriguing ghosts of Indonesia’s colonial past have evolved through both the spiritual and secular realms, and retain a critical affect of enchantment in Dolalak.

        Postcolonial Spirits is part of the on-going project CosmicWander by artist Choy Ka Fai, exploring the shamanic dance culture in Asia. Started 2018, he first set out on a 18-month journey across Asia to meet more than 50 spirit mediums in Siberia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia. Ka Fai returns with encounters on altered states of human consciousness and transforms these experiences on stage. He seeks to speculate on the alternative modes of knowing and living, as well as other realms of reality other than our own.

Inspired by Dolalak’s multi-dimensional heritage, Postcolonial Spirits creates a tele-presence experiment via live streaming of motion-captured dance from Java to perform on stage in Berlin. Dutch contemporary dance artist Vincent Riebeek and Dolalak folk dancer Andri Kurniawan collaborate virtually, and speculate on the notion of tele-presence dance making for our post-pandemic world.

Artist
Statement


Colonial Photography
as 18th Century
Instagram



        Colonial Photography is one of my main entry points for the creation of Postcolonial Spirits as a contemporary artwork. Inspired by the colonial photography of Woodbury and Page, who the set-up a photo studio business in Jakarta during the 1860s. The studio create topographical surveys of indigenous culture and sold images of Java, temples and landscapes. Their main commissions were taking portraits of high ranking Dutch army officials and members of Javanese aristocracy. Javanese Kings would cosplay as a general of the Royal Dutch East Indies army and Europeans would dressed up as American cowboys, Japanese Geishas or Arab tribesmen.

        I speculate that this fetishised cosplay culture of high-society dignitaries would be the very beginning of Dolalak, which is officially documented from the 1930s, where indigenous people dressed as colonial Dutch soldiers drinking and partying as part of a Javanese trance ritual. The sheer amazement of seeing these images inspired me to investigate the historical linages of Javanese dance and trance as a form of resistance. For me, the origin of Dolalak manifest as the desires of ordinary people who wanted to become royalties and Nobel men. Maybe, these acts of role-playing serve as pure entertainment and freedom of expression by the working class, and perhaps they hint at a form of political banter or mockery of their own indigenous kings who wanted look like white colonial masters.

        The Dutch colonised Java since 1576 and at the end of the 18th century, there seems to be a proliferation of new Javanese trance rituals, each region had mutated the traditional Javanese dance into their own version. The movement started as the purest forms of expression - dialogue and drama that infused folktales with current affairs. It seeks to rebel against their phantom Javanese rulers who submit to the powerful economics of the Dutch East India Company. The evolution of Javanese trance dance seems to parallel with the rise of western individualism and capitalism. The bourgeois bodies and radical selves gave birth to new gurus/cults that counter the historical superpowers of traditional religions. The idea of "self" today is more important than ever, the "self' needs coaching, needs healing, needs to be expanded.

        It is simply quite amazing to observe the liminal new age movement and consider the Indonesian trajectory of trance culture. It seems that in Indonesia, there was never a break from traditional practices, that its an unbroken chain of adaptation that continuously entwines and layers current modes of expression and traditional forms. When you compare a 1930 enthnographic film of a Javanese trance dance to that of Dolalak ritual today, maybe not much had changed choreographically. Its primary social function of binding people hearts and spirits is still intact. Perhaps this reflects the social-economic relations, that many Javanese or Indonesia working class continue to be marginalised or exploited by the current ruling class or multinational companies in the post colonial times.

        Although centuries have passed, these post colonial spirits lingers in the dance of the Javanese. These choreographic traditions transcend into the realm of the virtual, multi-tasked as the counsel of ordinary people and role of spiritual guidance to that of entertainment, pop culture and TikTok celebrity worship. However one of its function has remained, as a critical voice from the people against the power.

Supernatural Dance Explorer
29 April 2021
Choy Ka Fai

PERFORMANCE COMING SOON

PERFORMANCE COMING SOON