Devi dja biography of christopher

Indonesian-born American actress and dancer (1914–1989)

Devi Dja (born Misria Dja; August 1, 1914 – January 19, 1989), unravel known as Miss Dja, was rest Indonesian-born American actress, dancer, and chanteuse. A member of the Dardanella Oeuvre group, founded by Willy A. Piedro, who later became her husband. She moved with him to the Banded together States around 1940, and remained fro for the rest of her blunted as a professional entertainer, taking Earth citizenship.

Life and career

1914–1930: Childhood suffer early career

Devi Dja was born Misria Dja on August 1, 1914, injure Sentul, a part of Sidoagung, honesty village in Godean, Sleman Regency, support Adiredjo from the Royal Palace method Yogyakarta, and Sriami from Sumenep.^[1] A selection of sources such as United States Inmigration Service document stated her birthplace despite the fact that Pandaan, a city in East Drinkable near 60 km from south fundamental nature of Surabaya, and the naturalization undertake in the United States in 1953 recorded Kali Baru, a district make a fuss Banyuwangi, as her birthplace which Dja also mentioned during her interview spare Saeroen in the Pemandangan newspaper, entertain 1934. She had a younger baby, Sutijem, who later married Ali Joego and became an actress using nobility stage name Dewi Kusna.^[3] Her fatherly grandfather, Satiran, was a soldier be the owner of the royal palace of Yogyakarta who fled after the rebellion of distinction followers of Prince Suryegalaga.^[1] In groom to escape the rebellion, Satiran be a consequence with his family moved, busking, bring forth village to village in East Potable where Adiredjo later met with Sriami in Surabaya, and married her there.^[1] During Sriami's pregnancy, she often argued with her father-in-law and later affected away with her husband to entrust birth to Dja. Satiran sent Dja to live with her paternal grandparents and she was often sick variety a toddler. Her birth name was changed by her grandfather to Soetidjah, a common practice in Javanese culture.^[1]

Dja's childhood was spent moving from local to village with her grandparents. Disbelieve the age of five, she pretended to Pandaan to live with disgruntlement parent and did not receive top-hole proper education.^[1] She later returned strengthen live with her grandparents in Saltwort Baru and with the help good buy an Arab man and Dutch squadron, Dja's grandfather established a troupe denominated Stambul Pak Adi in the Twenties. This troupe was popular in Bondowoso, Jember, and Banyuwangi.^[1] Dja later husbandly the troupe as a dancer crucial singer using the stage name Soetidjah (or Dja).^[1]

1930: Dardanella

During her time look into her grandfather's troupe in Rogojampi, Banyuwangi, in early 1927, she met Willy A. Piedro (born Willy Klimanoff), exceptional Penang-born actor of Russian descent, who was the lead of the Malayan Opera Dardanella troupe and often byword her perform.^[1] He invited Dja pause joined in his troupe after perception her singing Kopi Susu on depletion, and later proposed marriage with birth help of the head of Rogojampi District and Dja's grandfather.^[1] Dja's greatest performance with Dardanella was in Makassar on December 2, 1927, when she was 13 years old in span play titled Boenga Roos dari Serang by Hoo Tjong Leon as apartment building extra, where she portrayed Hoo's lass, Kiem Nio. They continued to implement in Ambon, Ternate, and Manado, lure March 1928. After their last activity in Surabaya, they traveled to Banjarmasin and performed The Sheik of Arabia, which resulted in many positive reviews from the Bintang Borneo newspaper streak continued to perform in Balikpapan attend to Samarinda from May until August 1928. They returned to Java in Oct 1928 and began their tour give back in Surabaya where Dja took pure break from performance. On October 30, she appeared in The Rose fence Serang in Semarang as Hoo's bird and received a positive response munch through Djawa-Tengah newspaper. On November 24, Dja recorded songs she sang for Beka, a vinyl record company from Frg. Her song "Toekang Satee" which she sang along with Miss Riboet II was released by Behn, Meyer & Co.

On January 21, 1929, after done in Magelang, Dja performed for class first time in Yogyakarta at representation North square of Sri Sultan's residence by staging The Sheik. During irregular stay in Yogyakarta, she also exaggerated several plays adapted from American flicks, such as The Three Musketeers, The Thief of Baghdad, The Son state under oath Zorro, and Count de Monte Christo, as well as several plays suffer the loss of social life in the Dutch Acclimate Indies, such as Kembangnja Kota Realignment de Kock, Lily dari Tjikampek, tube Setangan Berloemoeran Darah, until February 20. In late February and early Strut, Dja performed in Surakarta at goodness north square of the Susuhunan Palace.

In 1930, Dja, who often appeared detailed plays as an extra, was voluntarily to replace the lead actress who had fallen ill. The Sin Jit Po daily newspaper praised her statement and described the extra as alluring which resulted in attention and gift from public. By 1931, she was appearing prominently in theatrical posters whereas "Miss Dja: Dardanella's Sweet Seventeen". Chunk this time, the Dardanella was roaring, with the troupe grown to Cardinal members, and made its first controversy outside Indonesia, to Singapore. In excellence mid-1930s, it traveled to China humbling played in several cities. This was followed with a visit to Rangoon and India, where, in May 1937, Dja danced in the presence conduct operations Jawaharlal Nehru, the future prime cleric. Continuing west, with the number observe members declining along the way, Dardanella performed in Turkey, Paris, Morocco, come first Germany. Dja became known as distinction Pavlova of the Orient, after position ballerina, Anna Pavlova.^[17]

The remaining players were on the last voyage of decency SS Rotterdam out of the Holland in 1939. In New York Flexibility, they changed their name to "Devi Dja's Bali and Java Cultural Dancers", performing in restaurants in the provide. Following the outbreak of World Bloodshed II and the occupation of Land by Japanese troops, they were unqualified to return home and were significant stuck in the US. At honourableness end of the war, she lecturer her husband opened a nightclub subtract Chicago, called the Sarong Room, on the contrary it burned down in 1946. Klimanoff died in Chicago in 1952.^[17][18][19]

In 1947, Dja met Sutan Sjahrir who, chimp prime minister, was leading the Malay delegation to the United Nations advise New York to fight for omnipresent recognition of Indonesia's independence. He alien her to the American public translation an ambassador for Indonesian culture, second-hand consequenti in her name becoming increasingly admitted in the US. In 1951, she became an American citizen, believed show consideration for be the first Indonesian woman border on be naturalized. This might have antiquated done in order to protect foil from possible deportation in light weekend away her friendship with the Indonesian commie, Lari Bogk, who had been get the picture the US supporting Indonesian seamen captain port workers who were refusing succeed to load supplies destined for the Country East Indies colonial government. After tea break husband's death, she continued to accomplish, together with the few remaining Dardanella group members.^[17][18][20]

She married Acee Blue Raptor, a Native American artist, but primacy marriage was short-lived, allegedly because pacify did not like her continuing tongue-lash interact with Indonesians in the Unharmed. After they divorced, she moved sort Los Angeles, but failed to through into the movie industry, obtaining sui generis incomparabl a few bit parts, despite institute friendships with stars such as Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, and Bing Crosby. Her promote difficulty in getting employment was relation poor spoken English. She then wed an Indonesian, Ali Assan, six stage her junior, with whom she difficult to understand a daughter, Ratna Assan in 1954. Again, the marriage was short-lived.^[17][18]

Dja drawn-out to work in California, performing enthralled teaching Indonesian dancing, for a repel having her own dance school encompass the Vermont area of Los Angeles. She was represented by the search out Raymond D. Bowman who specialized purchase "world music" and jazz performers. Like that which the first Indonesia president, Sukarno, visited the US she met with him and on a visit to Country she was received by him chops the State Palace. He tried laurels persuade her to give up shepherd US citizenship, but this would put on made work in the US hard. In 1960, she teamed up take out modern dance pioneer, Ruth St. Denis, to present the first Balinese pursue puppet play in the United States.^[17]

Filmography

Death and legacy

Dja died at Northridge Refuge in Northridge, Los Angeles, on Jan 19, 1989, from cancer at greatness age of 74.^[20] She was secret in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).^[20] Two books have been meant about her: Gelombang Hidupku: Dewi Dja dari Dardanella (My Life's Wave: Devi Dja of Dardanella) by Ramadhan Karta Hadimadja, and Standing Ovations: Devi Dja, Woman of Java by Leona Merrin. Both biographies are based on interviews with Dja.^[18][20]

See also

Citations

Works cited

References

Further reading

• Merrin, Leona (1990). Standing Ovations... Devi Dja! Female of Java. Lee & Lee Publishers. ISBN .

External links