An interdisciplinary performer/composer in Javanese tradition, Hartana masters a range of gamelan instruments, as well as mask dance, shadow puppet theatre, and vocals. Hartana received advanced training in Javanese martial arts (pencak silat) to achieve the physical demands in traditional Indonesian theatre performances. He has studied dance and movement in Indonesian and Japanese traditions, and modern dance techniques in Canada. Hartana has received additional training in modern theatre, creating kinesthetic and interactive works and contributing ideas visually and musically.
Hartana graduated from the Indonesian Dance Conservatory in Indonesia in 1986, and received a Bachelor Degree of Traditional Indonesian Performing Arts at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) in Yogyakarta. Hartana holds a MA in Ethnomusicology from UBC, and is currently working on his PhD at U of Victoria. He has performed internationally in both traditional and contemporary interdisciplinary performances throughout Asia, Europe, and North America.
photo by Nenad Stevanovic, Ghost Project, Oct 2008 at the Roundhouse,Vancouver
Suksma - Sutrisno Hartana (2008)
zheng performed by previous member Gelina Jiang
Suksma in an old Javanese language that means spirit, soul, abstract, maya. It refers to the world of spirit that is unseen. There are two types of suksma i.e.; langgeng (peace) and nglembara (wandering spirits or ghosts). Usually the suksma langgeng refers to the peaceful, and in contrast suskma nglembara refers to the ghostly. The concept of birth, life, death, birth, live, death is a good example of cyclical journey of suksma. Using the deep feeling and musical intensity that is taken from Chinese Erhu, Zheng, Marimba, Gender, and percussions, this music is meant a try to interact with the spirit.
