About Mariska
Co-founder, Executive Director
2014 – Present
Mariska started ballet when she was 10 years old at Namarina Dance Academy. After graduated from Atma Jaya University, majoring in Psychology she pursued her dancing dream to Australia. In 2011 she took a certified course in professional classical ballet and contemporary dance at Ev and Bow Full-Time Dance Training Center, Sydney-Australia and graduated. In April 2012 she got accepted as a company dancer at Bangkok City Ballet, Thailand.
In 2013, Mariska and her friends founded Ballet Indonesia Foundation (Ballet.id) a non-profit organization to give an enabling environment for Indonesian talents to develop as a well-rounded dance professional in Indonesia. Mariska contributes actively as Founder and Executive Director of Ballet.id.
Under Ballet.id, she has organized an Intensive Dance Course since 2013-presents. She is the producer of 1st Indonesian Ballet Gala 2015 (in collaboration with Australian Embassy, Korean Cultural Center and Czech Embassy) and 2nd Indonesian Ballet Gala : an inclusive dance event 2017 (in collaboration with Australian Embassy, British Council Indonesia and Institut Francais d’Indonesie), where this Gala successfully bring two different worlds; diffable and non-diffable, local and international artists on the same stage.
Mariska was one of Indonesian Delegation to attend and learn about Disability Arts at Glasgow’s Unlimited Festival, supported by British Council Indonesia (2016). She’s also an organizer and dancer for West Australian Ballet Touring Performance in 2016, where this touring received Indonesia – Australia Business Week award 2017 for the most successful Australia-Indonesia partnership collaboration in the creative sector.
In 2018, Ballet.id collaborated with Strut Dance Australia to give the scholarship to 3 Indonesian Dancers to join Hofesh Shechter Intensive Workshop in Perth, West Australia. This amazing opportunity was supported by the Australia-Indonesia Institute. Later in 2018, Mariska got appointed as Program Manager for “Festival Bebas Batas” (FBB) by British Council Indonesia. FBB was Indonesia’s first inclusive festival, a celebration of brilliant art by disabled and non-disabled artists.
In 2019, with the support from Australian Embassy Jakarta, Ballet.id collaborates with West Australian Ballet to bring 2 dancers and choreographer to work with Indonesian dancers and perform together in Historia at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta on 7 July 2019. Historia is the first exhibition and dance showcase centered on the momentous events of ballet in Indonesia. HISTORIA exhibited the birth of ballet in Indonesia in 1845—to the present, narrating Indonesian ballet’s advancements over the past 174 years based on Meutia Chaerani’s (Ballet.id co-founder) research.
2020’s plans have been disrupted and the year has been difficult for all of us in the dance communities around the world. Mariska tried her best to keep active and helping the dance communities in Indonesia. She organized an online charity Master Class series with the international teacher from 11 different countries and a charity virtual performance “HOPE”. The virtual performance broadcasted from 4 different countries (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Nigeria) and 11 cities. All proceeds generated from the master class and performance have been donated to the art workers in Indonesia.
In 2021, Mariska continued her work in both digital platforms and live events. She participated in a digital art residency named “Dance Dialogue” with Marc Brew (UK), where they created dance videos that reflected on the impact of the pandemic and the diverse landscapes of both Indonesia and the UK. During the same year, she collaborated with the West Australian Ballet in a digital residency aimed at developing a ballet style that would capture the vibrant essence of Indonesian culture. This residency received support from the Australia-Indonesia Institute and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
Moving on to the end of 2022, Ballet.id partnered with Nalitari (ID) and We Are Epic (UK) to conduct a comprehensive mapping of disabled dancers across Indonesia. This mapping project was made possible through the generous support of the British Council’s Connections Through Culture Grant. The results of this mapping endeavor are scheduled to be presented at the disabled conference at Gajah Mada University in November 2023.
In her most recent undertaking in 2023, Mariska took on the task of producing the 3rd Indonesian Ballet Gala. The goal of this gala was to showcase the talents of the finest Indonesian and international ballet stars. The event drew an audience of 1700 people and featured the participation of 14 international dancers and 33 Indonesian dancers, all sharing the same stage. This marked the largest ballet performance ever produced in Indonesia and performed on Indonesian stages. In recognition of her contributions to the arts, Mariska was appointed to the Jakarta Arts Council Committee for the period 2023-2026.