Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, under the coordination of the Vice Rector for Innovation, Culture, and Information Systems, Prof. Dr. H. Agus Rahayu, M.P., organized the Bandung Isola Performing Art Festival Intercultural Collaboration on Friday, October 20, 2023. This event was part of the university’s 69th anniversary celebrations.

Prof. Dr. H. Agus Rahayu, M.P., explained that BIFAF is an annual festival that adopts the concept of a performing arts market, taking place at Villa Isola Park. The festival provides a platform for creative individuals, choreographers, and art producers to meet with festival directors, curators, venue presenters, and other stakeholders during showcase and pitching sessions.

This year, BIFAF featured live performances of intercultural collaborations, involving 9 works from various Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, as well as intercontinental nations like Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. Additionally, BIFAF welcomed Galih Mahara as the Festival Curator and Saian Badaruddin, M.Pd, as the Chief Executive of BIFAF.

Prof. Dr. H. Agus Rahayu, M.P., pointed out that the participating artists included Rainy Light, initiated by Rithaudin Abdul Kadir from Malaysia; Hominid Heart, initiated by Ari Rudenko from the United States of America (USA); Somewhere in the Dust, initiated by Dimar Dance Theatre/Dian Bokir from Indonesia and Martina Feiertag from Germany.

Furthermore, there were Tambului, initiated by Fairul Zahid from Singapore; Trekking, initiated by Park Na Hoon from South Korea; GONG, initiated by Aafkeu De Jong from the Netherlands; GARBHA, initiated by Yana Endrayanto, collaborating with 5 countries including India, the Netherlands, Malaysia, South Korea, and the USA; Chassing The Eagle Shadow, initiated by Noviyanti Maulani from Indonesia’s Galuh Pakuan Subang; and TABLE, initiated by Iing Sayuti from Indonesia.

He went on to explain that BIFAF serves as a positive platform for the promotion of innovative curated performing arts in the city of Bandung. The festival facilitates creators, art presenters, and creative teams in showcasing their work, fostering collaborations, and engaging in transactions with national and international festival directors and venue presenters.

Dr. Ayo Sunaryo, M.Pd, the Head of the Cultural Unit of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, stated that BIFAF aims to connect creative individuals, choreographers, and performance art producers with their stakeholders through showcases, networking, and collaborations, ultimately contributing to the development of the creative performing arts industry in Indonesia. He expressed hope that BIFAF would create a favorable performance environment for art enthusiasts in Indonesia and abroad.

He further mentioned that BIFAF has been in operation since 2016, and it has proven to be instrumental in nurturing young choreographers who will enrich the dance world. Dr. Ayo Sunaryo, M.Pd, emphasized that BIFAF serves as an out-of-classroom space, particularly in the performing arts subsector in Indonesia, for emerging young choreographers to showcase their talents on national and international stages. The main performances this year showcased cross-cultural collaborations, evident in the various choreographic forms presented (UPI Public Relations/Yana Setiawan).