January 31, 2005
UCSC benefit for tsunami relief effort in
Indonesia set for February 12
By Scott Rappaport
The UCSC Theater Arts Department will present a special benefit
performance for the tsunami relief effort in Indonesia on Saturday,
February 12, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at UCSCs Second Stage
Theater.
The Indonesian benefit is one of a number of UCSC activities
planned, or held recently, to support victims of the tsunami.
An on-campus memorial last week provided a time for reflection
on the one-month anniversary of the tsunami; see slide show
(.mov file) of the event.
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Guest choreographers Irawati Durban (left) and Bulan Djelantik
will perform a variety of dances from Indonesia at the Feb.
12 benefit at UCSCs Second Stage Theater. Below, theater
arts professor Kathy Foley is coordinator of the Tsunami
Relief Benefit.
Photo: Scott Rappaport |
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The event will feature a dance performance by visiting Indonesian
choreographers Irawati Durban and Bulan Djelantik, plus Bay
Area gamelan players led by UCSC Music Department lecturer Undang
Sumarna, and local dancers who have performed extensively in
Indonesia.
Santa Cruz resident and Sumatran scholar Sjamsir Sjarif will
also speak briefly about conditions in Aceh--Indonesia's tsunami-battered
province that was one of the most devastated areas affected
by the Dec. 26 disaster that killed more than 150,000 people
and left thousands missing throughout southern Asia.
That part of Indonesia is one of the hardest places to
get into because of the insurgency of the last five years,
noted UCSC theater arts professor Kathy Foley, who is coordinating
the benefit. Outsiders have been banned for some time
because Americans had been going in and writing negative things
about the national government. So it has been a complicating
factor in relief efforts.
Getting aid to where it needs to be dispersed is not
always a straightforward path in Indonesia, Foley added.
From what Ive heard from people in Jakarta, the
government is doing everything it can, but the infrastructure
is just not set up for the true flow of aid that we would have
if it was Florida.
Foley said that proceeds from the benefit will be directed
to organizations such as the Indonesian Lions Club International,
Doctors Without Borders, and World Vision.
Our intention is to set up a table that identifies these
organizations and allow people to donate in whichever direction
they desire, she said. Because I personally know
the individuals involved in each of these organizations, we
know the money will definitely get there.
The benefit was organized in conjunction with a student theatrical
production that is scheduled to run on campus in February. Titled
The Ghostly Goddess and the Sinner Saint: How Islam Came
to Java, the production is directed by Foley and features
choreography by the guest Indonesian artists. Performances will
take place at 7 p.m. (Sundays at 3 p.m.) on Feb. 4-6 and 10-13
at the Theater Arts Second Stage.
People wanted to do something and we had this opportunity
to utilize these guest artists who were already here choreographing
and directing a dance/drama for the Theater Arts Department,
Foley explained. And because I was directing the production,
I had access to the performing space. So we hope to bring together
the campus, Indonesian, and Santa Cruz communities.
Durban, a senior lecturer at Indonesian College of the Arts
(STSI) in Bandung, has performed internationally since 1964.
A visiting artist at UCSC this winter quarter, she recently
presented a seminar for the UCSC Arts Division that included
an exhibit of Southeast Asian masks, which are now on display
at the East-West Center on the grounds of the University of
Hawaii.
The Indonesians will be very thankful for all the Americans
who helped and tried to collect money for the tsumami victimsnot
only in Indonesia, but in other countries as well, Durban
observed. Young children were even making cookies and
selling them in malls to raise money. We are very impressed
and grateful.
Its a drop in the ocean, but its doing something,
added Djelantik, who has taught Balinese dance nationally and
internationally since the 1970s. Its helping to
make the image of Americans in Muslim countries like Indonesia
more popular.
The Feb. 12 benefit at 3:30 p.m. is limited to 200 people
and seating will be first-come, first-served. Donations are
requested. It will be followed at 7 p.m. by a performance of
The Ghostly Goddess and the Sinner Saint--tickets for the evening
performance are available at the UCSC Ticket Office: (831) 459-2159.
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