On Thursday 7th February 2008, Javanese dancers, Rianto and Rury Avianti, visited the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester to collaborate with a group of postgraduate composers on a day of cross-cultural experimentation and improvisation.

The day ended with a performance of completed work combining music and dance and left all participants enthused and energised with the creative possibilities that emerged from the sessions.

Rianto and Rury were visiting the UK on an innovative project organised and managed by Nusnatara, a performing arts organisation based in Nottingham specialising in South-East Asian arts, and funded through Arts Council England, that had culminated in a showcase performance at the Lakeside Theatre the previous day. Choreographed by Nusantara's Artistic Director, Maziah Omar, the project brought Rianto and Rury together with a pair of contemporary Western dancers, Ian Dolan and Titania Hanrahan, to explore movements and techniques derived from both traditions.

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