Noella Wants To Continue Dancing

Hard work and a never-say-die attitude towards achieving your dreams lie underneath all the sparkles of life as an idol group. This is a notion deeply appreciated by Noella Sisterina, a 17-year-old teenager who once held the title of JKT48 Member.

That Saturday evening, Noella sat comfortably in a café while she waited for the JKT48Stuff team; who arrived slightly late because of the congested traffic conditions in North Jakarta. “It’s alright,” she assured, a glow visible on her face. Just like that, all the weariness from the traffic jam quickly dissipated.

Since she officially “graduated” from JKT48 a few weeks earlier, Noella planned to take a short vacation before she faced the National Exam. “In the past few weeks, I’ve been studying continuously. Well, rather than get saturated now, I’d like to travel around before the exam season begins. It enables me to be more focused when I come back,“ she said excitedly. At that time, despite our attempts to find out more, Noella seemed reluctant to tell us about her travel destinations. Only after several photos were posted on her personal Twitter account @noellastrna, it was revealed that she vacationed to Europe.

Looking at the tall and slender Noella, ordinary people may not expect that this Surabaya-born girl is a skilled dancer. However, among fans of JKT48, Noella is well-known for standing out with her dancing skills. This is gratefully acknowledged by Noella. “Because, since a long time ago, the talent I chose to specialize in is dancing. I feel more confident in dancing compared to singing. I like to sing too but it’s just basic; haven’t once gone for singing lessons. Basically, I’m just a bathroom singer. Ha ha ha…”

According to a JKT48Stuff member who regularly watched her performances, Noella was at her coolest when she danced to the song Fushidara na Natsu and Cinderella wa Damasarenai. But Noella felt the most confident when dancing Itoshisa no Defense and Viva! Hurricane. “I feel very happy to be regarded as the best dancer in Fushidara and Cinderella. As long as I’m not considered as a good singer or musician, ‘cause I did it just for kicks. When it comes to the guitar, [I can only play] the basic chords,” she explained about her guitar performance during the Manatsu no Sounds Good Handshake Festival.

Talking with Noella is really fun. Although she is often described as are served and hostile person, she admitted that she is actually someone who is very noisy. “Perhaps, those who haven’t gotten to know me well may think that I’m a bit standoffish, but in reality, I like to get all excited by myself!” she exclaimed with a wide grin.

To balance out the excitement of JKT48, Noella looks to Kinal and Lidya as her role models. “It’s really cool for Kinal to become the captain. From nothing to something. It could be inspirational to others.”

Lidya, to her, is a “seriously hard worker” and Noella admitted that she was inspired to be like her. “Just look at K3poinOshi. It’s proof of how successful an effort can be when it is carried out in earnest. Furthermore, Lidya dares to speak out. She dares to express what she feels. I think it’s a good thing, because I myself am not able to be like that.”

The talk was interrupted by a waiter who served our ordered drinks. Noella stirred the orange juice in front of her before finally drinking it with enjoyment. Her eyes fluttered shut as she sipped the fresh drink, leaving traces of her thin lipstick on the straw. Noella’s cheeks flushed red. She looked so happy talking about the people she admired.

Being an idol

Actually, Noella wasn’t really a newcomer among the [senior] members of JKT48. Previously, she had auditioned with the first generation members alongside Melody, Shania, Kinal, and the others. At that time, Noella admitted that she had difficulty memorizing the choreography and Japanese lyrics of Heavy Rotation. It was a totally foreign song in the mind of this girl who was born on 16 November 1997. “At that time, I didn’t know anything about AKB[48]. In fact, I didn’t know JKT[48] would be formed. As it turned-out, watching them on TV looked quite interesting so I wanted to join.”

So, when she was offered to join the second generation audition, Noella accepted it with joy. “During the first generation audition, we had to memorize the movement and the Japanese lyrics of Heavy Rotation. It was like a required song. So, in the second generation audition, Nadila, Shinta (Naomi), Sinka, and I became more confident because we had learnt it. Ha ha ha…”

Unlike the previous audition, the grand finale for the second generation audition was held in Japan. “That announcement was made through video by Aki-P, who said, ‘Because I am not able to go to Jakarta, then, all the finalists will come to Japan.’ We were all hysterical because we’d never been to Japan before. It became a very memorable moment. There, the audition only took place for a day, so we’re able to travel around during the rest of the trip.”

Since becoming a JKT48 member, this attractive, brown-skinned girl has appeared in a variety of TV shows. A diversity of shows had been performed as well, ranging from the small stages to large scale concerts. “Since a long time ago, I have always enjoyed performing in front of people. So to be able to stand on such a huge stage and watched by thousands of people was an indescribable experience,” her eyes beamed brightly as she recalled about her fulfilled dreams.

“But it’s easy to have many people looking at you. Just stand in the middle of the road, for example,” a JKT48Stuff team teased Noella with his old-fart jokes.

“That’s different! What I meant is to be watched during a concert! Ha ha ha,” Noella replied with a serious answer to the joking and grinning JKT48Stuff team.

Then, on 25 June 2013, through a dramatic announcement at the JKT48 Theater, Noella along with several other second generation members got selected to form a team called Team KIII. Unfortunately, not all of the second generation members were promoted. “I thought it would be the same as Team J where everybody got in. But it wasn’t. To get separated into those with a team and the others staying as trainees didn’t feel good. So yeah, I was really sad,” she recalled.

Luckily, that feeling didn’t last too long because in the end, her trainee friends got promoted as well – although they were split between Team J and Team KIII. “On one hand, I was sad that we were not able to be in the same team. But on the other hand, I was very happy for them to finally be in a team and no longer stayed a trainee. Especially since the third gen had already joined by then,” she continued.

The opportunity to become a member of an idol group with demanding schedule had brought about positive changes for Noella. Now, she claimed to be better in conversing and meeting with other people, and she became more confident. “Now, when I meet new people, I know better what to do. Before, I was a quiet and shy person and didn’t like to talk. That’s why I looked a bit distant, right?” she explained. “But thanks to the handshake events and the many encounters with fans, I also learned how to behave myself. Yet despite all this, my MC session wasn’t funny at all.”

Talking about her unfunny MC sessions, according to Noella, the whole Team KIII was already aware of it. “Since Saktia and Sisil [joined the team], it got better because [they’re] a joker. Saktia was like a drunken person. She said that [traveling] from Jakarta to Surabaya took 8 hours… even though [she] traveled on an airplane. Ha ha ha…”

Apart from this embarrassing MC moment, Noella added that she once felt very embarrassed while performing Junjou Shugi. At that time this lover of durians got up to the stage with a limp. “I was having a good time performing when, argh, my right shoe heel broke off! Don’t know why. So I got laughed at by many people. Sooooo embarrassing! It was so confusing and I didn’t know what to do. I kept performing till the end of the song anyway, but I cried once I got to the backstage,” said Noella, who broke into a shy laughter while grabbing a tissue and wiping her teardrops away.

The JKT48Stuff team was left momentarily speechless as we sat entranced by the beauty of Noella on that evening, who wore a graceful red cardigan, a flowery top and a long and sexy black skirt. It was a moment much like the song Yuuhi wo Miteiruka? where a gentle warmth suddenly embraced the heart, refusing to let this moment end.

Friends and family are everything to Noella Sisterina. However, when faced with the responsibility to undergo the hectic schedule as a member of JKT48, she was forced to sacrifice her time.

“I really like having a lot of friends,” said the Taylor Swift fangirl interrupting the daydreaming JKT48Stuff team who immediately protested. “Didn’t you like Justin Bieber, huh?”

“Yes, I used to… but now I no longer am, I’ve grown up. He he he…”

“Are you sure you no longer like Justin Bieber?” JKT48Stuff teased her.

“Well yeah, actually, I still like [Justin Bieber], but now I’m more into Taylor Swift,” she tried to convince us, but to no avail because her face was clearly showing her embarrassment.

“Where was I? Ah right, I really like to have many friends,” said Noella trying to divert attention, “Back when I was still a JKT48 member, it’s difficult when I wanted to play with [my friends]. Hanging out with family was also difficult because of the limited time.”

This first child of two siblings then told us about how busy she was as a member JKT48. “When I was still in ‘formal’ school, the school hours ended at 3 PM. If there was a theater scheduled for that day, I had to go straight to fX because members had to be there at 3 PM. I used to arrive there at 4 PM, so yeah, I was definitely running late. I had to eat in the car. I had to change my clothes in the car. After the theater was over, I went straight to bed when I got home. So there was no time to play at all.”

Now that she’s no longer part of the JKT48’s K3 team, Noella claimed to feel freer. “It’s really good to have more time with family, with friends. I can play with them. Things that were impossible to do when I was still in JKT48 can be done now. I can also focus more on studying for the National Exam. Oh, and I can go on vacation! Ha ha ha…”

During the two years as a member of a popular idol group with a lot of fans from Indonesia, and even foreign countries, a lot of things had been experienced by Noella Sisterina, including the treatment of fans who left a lasting impression in the heart of this pink-loving girl.

“During a handshake event,” Noella began, “I was suddenly told to get out of the cubicle. Apparently they’d brought many placards with encouraging message. I was so moved when reading their writings.” Another form of encouragement happened during Gingham Check Handshake Festival. Earlier, Noella’s chin was scratched from falling. “Apparently, during handshake, all of them wore bandages on their chin as well. They told me they wanted to feel what I felt,” she recalled with tears of emotion.

Playing guitar together at the handshake booth, given encouragement videos when Noella rarely tweeted and right after her graduation, and many more touching moments from the fans have colored Noella’s days. “Seeing [the encouragement videos] made me sad and touched. And I’m very grateful to be able to feel it all. To feel their support. [I] thank them so much.”

Performance reviews and suggestions were also happily welcomed. “My fellow JKT48 members and I were excited if there were theater reviews. I always read them because they helped me to evaluate how I did that day, and how I did the next day. But lately the fans who did reviews were not as active as they used to. There were more reviews during Boku No Taiyou [setlist]. Maybe they got tired. Or perhaps already bored? Ha ha ha.”

“Which moment together with fans that you like the most?” Asked one JKT48Stuff member who usually acts as a photographer.

“During OFC (Official Fan Club) events,” said the dog lover excitedly. “In OFC events the interactions were not just limited to ‘say hi’ with fans, but you could actually play and dine in the same table with them. It felt more intimate.”

Noella later recalled an incident during the last OFC event that she joined. “We’re playing the Monopoly board game. It was already evening and the event was about to end, when suddenly the lights went off. It’s really dark! Then, Chikarina and Natalia entered the room wearing a ghost costume. I screamed in horror and went to hide behind someone. I’m such a weak-hearted person,” said Noella, clearly embarrassed. The JKT48Stuff team could not help laughing at her suddenly changed adorable expression.

However, of all the interactions with the fans, there is one thing that she really appreciated. “They were very united. Maybe there isn’t that many of them, but their camaraderie is worth a praise. If I was dealing with something, they’d always encourage me. They would say ‘we are here for you.’.”

For the fans who have supported her until now, Noella said the same thing as what she had written on Twitter. “Because I couldn’t even say it directly, only via Twitter. I also didn’t get a chance to do the handshake event the next day. I didn’t want to disappoint them, but it was the management’s policy. Once again, please accept my apology.”

About future plans

As it got towards evening, the atmosphere was getting warmer. JKT48Stuff team invited Noella to continue the conversation outside the cafe while enjoying the twilight sky. A gust of wind blew her hair, strand by strand, allowing the sunlight to breathtakingly penetrate through them.

“Is there any plan to enter the entertainment world?” asked a JKT48Stuff team member, peering out from behind the camera lens.

“As long as there’s a way and opportunity, why not? It’s a new experience. After all I’m happy with this line of work,” she said bluntly. To that end, one of her desires is to improve her guitar skills. “I think if I could really do it more seriously, it’d be really cool to sing while playing guitar. Right now, [my guitar skill is] still mediocre at best, really. ”

When asked which JKT48 members who are skilled in playing an instrument, Noella answered Jeje and Andela without hesitation. “Viny’s ability to play musical instrument is not that much different from me. Ha ha ha,” she said jokingly.

In addition, this young woman with B blood type admitted that she still has great desire to continue practicing her ballet dance. “My passion since the second grade of elementary school was actually to become a ballet dancer. Even when I entered JKT48 I was still following ballet-related goings-on. In fact, sometimes I went to the ballet school when there was no JKT48 activities. I idly joined the exercises so that I wouldn’t forget about it. But it had to stop because of the tight schedule of [JKT48] activities, “said Noella excited.

Noella’s pupils were dilated when talking about this favorite topic of hers. There is an overabundant sense of pride that was emanated from her as she recounted her achievements in the field of ballet dance. “Ballet courses are divided into 13 levels. For each level, there is a promotion exam. And thank God, I always received the highest score in every level. Last time I joined, I was already at the intermediate level. It was supposed to be 3 more years, or 3 more levels to completion.”

The girl who also goes by the nickname “Wewel” added that learning ballet has to be continuous. “Now, [my body] is already stiff, but I could still continue [where I left off] because I’ve already got the basic. If I exercise routinely again, after some time [my body] could be flexible again.”

Noella acknowledged that the body flexibility from learning ballet came in handy when learning the dance choreography in JKT48. “Ballet makes my body flexible. Any kinds of moves became more comfortable and easier. Even in the first audition, I wasn’t asked to do any other dance, just the ballet dance.” When asked to compare which was more difficult between ballet movements or the choreography of JKT48 songs, Noella answered diplomatically. “Every dance has its own level of difficulty. However, when talking about the technique and detail of the movements, ballet is much more difficult.”
 
According to Noella, ballet is increasingly popular these days. Even the number of male ballet dancers in Indonesia has now increased compared with when she first started learning the Italian dance. “Although it is still small in number compared with other countries. I think male ballet dancers are cool.”

Asked when was the last time she performed ballet on stage, Noella said shortly before the audition of JKT48. “The last time I performed was during the 9th grade, back in 2012,” she said convincingly. After becoming a member of JKT48, her passion for ballet lived on through watching movies. “Black Swan was the last [ballet-themed] movie I watch. I really like the story. The thing is, if there’s ballet in a movie, I’d love it.”

If developing the ability to play the guitar and continuing ballet courses are her desire, then the future plan that is definitely on the list for this owner of number 37 shoes would be to go to college. “I’ve already applied to a university. I’d like to enter the Mass Communication Major. It looks like interesting to be able to do lots of things. Besides, I’m not so fond of materials that are too serious, such as economics or medicine. It’s just so not me,” she said innocently.

The conversation with Noella was very exciting that we didn’t realize the sun was already west-bound towards its resting place. Before bidding adieu, one question suddenly popped up in our mind. “If you’re given the ability to talk to the Noella two years ago, shortly after becoming a member of JKT48, what are you going to say?”

“I want to tell ‘her’ not to be too shy. Also, don’t be too stern looking. While I didn’t deliberately intend to be callous and mean anything bad deep down, but if other people assumed that I was being stern, then something’s wrong.” she concluded while smiling sweetly. The kind of smile that was just simply unforgettable to anyone who saw it. The very smile that makes her an idol. ***