mugi dance: contemporer dance

Mugi’s act of moving is done poetically, showed a collide as a human being that expressed kewikuan (‘ascetism’) and keyogian (‘meditation’)

Mugiyono has successfully founded a special dancing act” in his work Kosong performed at Indonesia Dance Festival 1996.

Almost his (every) choreographies are short works. These works are specially attractive, because they show absorption process, creation, and recreation of a new dance idiom in Mugiyono’s body. The idiom is flexible enough for combining the past and the recent ---comment about "In Search of the temple's eyes"

As a dancer, he oftenly uses his thin and tiny posture. He smartly explores forms of dance motions that are impossible showed by a ‘common’ dancer, like in his work Kabar Kabur (‘Rumors’) (2000), this solo dance is still amazing. With comedical acts, his every pliant body seems to be ‘stand alone’ and converse

Another delightful and creative choreograher who derives his material from the political situation in his homeland is Mugiyono Kasido. Trained in traditional Indonesian dance, Kasido has evolved his style into an undeniable contemporary yet uncontrived form. Restricting himself to a small rectangular platform, he contorted his body into comical shapes and satirical creatures. With the aid of an over-sized white t-shirt, he became a one-man puppet theatre, constantly manipulating his body to create one striking visual image after another. The effect was a memorable fusion of comedy, tragedy, satire – the dramatic expression of a deeply human voice

He accomplishes the task with compelling simplicity. Instead of a wearing an exotic costume, he opts for a plain T-shirt and long shorts. As an everyday man with a body capable of otherworldly movement, he explores various architectural positions with sinewy grace, balancing on one leg with the back foot flexed or crouching low to the floor and rising without effort.

A ture virtuso, Mugiyono injects the vitallity of modern dance into ancient art and suceeds, infusing a hundred year old virtual with the fierce glow of new life.

Trained as a court dancer, Mr. Kasido retains close ties to traditional elements of Indonesian dance: gamelan music, shadow-puppet plays, and mask dramas. But he brings a contemporary twist: He removes the face makeup and ornamental costumes in favor of a regular pair of blue shorts and a T-shirt. 

The work that best captures Mr. Kasido’s originality and sense of humor is ‘Rumors,’ which confronts the... riots that rocked Indonesia in 1998. 

He employs slow, graceful movements and traditional mask dance to create a mystical atmosphere, gradually yet irresibily drawing the audience under it’s spell.