“I first met Ms. Andara when I was her student. I was really inspired by the way she thinks and makes her art. She taught me a lot about dance, dance production, creativity, and life in general. I’m still grateful for the opportunity and precious relationship we have until today.” – Elghandiva A. Tholkhah, who holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Royal College of Art and is also Andara’s former student.
As a dance teacher, Andara Moeis consider one among the few people who inspired and encourage Elghandiva to pursue contemporary art practice. Now Elghandiva has performed in numerous contemporary art pieces, both in Indonesia and the United Kingdom after attaining her MFA in contemporary art from Royal College of Art, London.
Dancing, by itself, probably won’t cure all the world’s woes, but it can change people’s lives. Dance and its moves can communicate the unspoken. It can change people’s lives and reach somewhere where other things don’t.
Dance! You may move the world to a better place one step at a time.
Andara Moeis completed her undergraduate studies in dance at the Jakarta Institute of Arts in 2008. Since then, she has been work intensively with contemporary Indonesian artists such as Jecko Siompo and Hartati. These collaborations led her to performances in Singapore, Malaysia, Berlin, Hamburg, and Brisbane. In 2012, Andara was selected for the Empowering Women Artists programme by Kelola Foundation, which prompted her to produce two pieces of choreography in two consecutive years. She then continued her study at P.A.R.T.S (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios) in Brussels, a renowned contemporary dance school founded by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. In the same year, Andara had the opportunity to showcase her latest work, Untitled 2015, in Brussels, Paris, and Singapore.
Andara Moeis from one of her performances.
Yet, back home in Jakarta, the was no significant development in contemporary arts. There were not many dance studios offering contemporary dance classes in Jakarta. People had to attend a formal institution, such as the Jakarta Institute of Arts, to study dance. To fill in the gap, Andara and her friend decided to start the School of Movement (the SoM Dance Academy) to help lift the dance culture in her beloved hometown. It would also serve as a place for the younger generation to be able to access the knowledge of contemporary dance in a non-formal fashion.
This way, the students who enter the class can grasp what dance is all about and the best way to practice.
But we can’t help but wonder, what is the best way to practice this art?
And in a world where lockdown tends to be difficult for many of us, art continuous to lift our heart and spirit.
Dancers’ lives are mostly spent in spaces crowded with people. They rehearse in studios where it’s often stuffed with people—and go onstage to perform within spitting distance of dozens of other people. Yet now, Andara, like any other dance teachers, started her day with virtual dance class, with the now-familiar illuminated squares of Zoom account begin to pop up on a computer screen, reckoning that their students now have attended her class. Although through only online classes, lockdown never dims the spirits of these dancers and their students.
As the new normal arises, dancer, choreographers, dance practitioners, dance teachers, studio owners all around the world are trying to figure things out how to stay afloat and trying to understand what is the new normal. By adapting to online classes, online performances, a lot of new initiatives and new programs arise digitally from this pandemic.
It challenges the artists and performers to think forward. To push a little bit and to fight to keep the art scene alive.
Dance! to express the movement of love to your body, and to keep the art alive.
“Ms. Andara has always been very kind. She cares a lot about the people involved in SOM as well. No matter where she is, she has students all over the world, and she keeps updated on their progress. She’s not like any other teacher you’ll ever encounter. I feel grateful to call her my teacher. Because of her studio, I keep on dancing up until now.” – Adinda Yasha, 23 years old, former School of Movement dance student.
Life as an artist, dancer, choreographer even before the pandemic it’s already a struggle—dance not yet a promising profession in some countries.
Like other small medium enterprises, performing-arts troupes face an uncertain future. If the business can’t survive, there will be no jobs for people to come back to. There’s little public funding for the arts, and live performance faces some of the greatest barriers to a return to activity until the end of the year.
And from anywhere in the world, you can join the movement, from the comfort of your living room. In this lockdown, we have minimal access to the outside world. Use this time to learn something new, to learn a new passion, to learn new hobbies.
You can start from dance as a way to stay active. It could help us reduce our stress level working from home. It could also help us lessen our level of anxiety in this arduous time. And by taking online classes, keep in mind that you are supporting your local artist to promote the art scene survives in this challenging time.
“What do art and dance mean to me? Of course, I can always dig deeper, but I think I am going to keep it simple and light. I think dance gives me a purpose in life.” – Andara Moeis.
Andara Moeis might not move the world just yet, but, she’s definitely on her way, with her teaching, her breakthrough dance classes, and her fiery spirit to keep this art alive. For her students, Andara Moeis leads by example that your dreams can be attained, and your passion is valid.
Join the School of Movement with Andara from anywhere in the world, from the comfort of your living room. Maximise your true artistic potential in moving art. Be the ‘movement’ you want to see in the world, by start taking steps forward while having fun doing it.
Click here to join online contemporary dance class with Andara Moeis and the School of Movement. In this class, you will learn a contemporary style dance with Gumarang Sakti method.