Ancient Javanese shadow drama set for English performance<\/p>\n
By Ton Bintoro<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The scene is set. The tree of life spins around
\nand is planted upright in the middle of the screen. The music
\nbegins with a trance-like beat. And so dawns a drama from an
\nancient time, where the shadow world is not separate from the
\nmaterial world.<\/p>\n
Wayang kulit (leather puppet or shadow puppet) is an ancient
\nJavanese art form dating from before the 9th century B.C.; before
\nthe influence of India reached the Indonesian archipelago. The
\nshadow play was probably used in rituals connected with
\nfertility, communing with the Gods or ancestors, and guiding the
\nsoul to the afterlife. With the arrival of Hinduism from India,
\nthe Ramayana and Mahabrata epics were incorporated into the
\nexisting wayang forms.<\/p>\n
According to David Irvine's Leather Gods & Wooden Heroes,
\nJava's Classical Wayang, the standard wayang stories are divided
\ninto four themes tracing wayang kulit's development through
\nhistory. The Jawa Dewa cycle relates the exploits of the original
\nJavanese gods and legendary heroes. The Arjuna Sasrabahu cycle
\nintroduces the characters that provide a background to the
\nRamayana cycle. The Ramayana cycle is based on the great epic
\nRamayana about the abduction of Sinta and the efforts of Rama to
\nrescue her. And the Mahabrata tells of the battle for the kingdom
\nof Hastina between the Pandawa brothers and the Korawa brothers.<\/p>\n
These cycles reflect wayang kulit's ability to adapt and to
\ndraw on new characteristics from a changing environment without
\nlosing its philosophical essence. But what relevance could this
\ntraditional art form steeped in traditional Javanese philosophy
\nand Javanese Hinduism possibly have for foreigners?<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at Erasmus Huis, South
\nJakarta, Swamintaya will attempt to answer this question by
\nperforming the story of Bhisma Dewabrata in English. This story
\nrelates the life of Bhisma, a central character from the
\nMahabrata, faced with the dilemma of pursuing his own desires or
\nplaying out the role that destiny handed him.<\/p>\n
Swamintaya chose this story because, he said, \"the Mahabrata
\nis the basic story of wayang in Java. This will give everybody an
\nunderstanding,\" and \"to introduce some basic messages through the
\nperformance, for instance peace and cooperation between different
\ncultures.\"<\/p>\n
Swamintaya works at PT Merck in the marketing department, he
\nperforms wayang kulit in his spare time.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, the dalang (storyteller) functioned as a medium
\nbetween the shadow world and this world. In this performance,
\nSwamintaya is an intermediary between two worlds also, the East
\nand the West.<\/p>\n
What relevance could this ancient story have for people in
\nmodern society?<\/p>\n
Swamintaya said that Bhisma Dewabrata is a crown prince who
\nhad no ambition to become king, although by right he was entitled
\nto do so, but instead decided to become a monk.<\/p>\n
\"Bhisma has a spectacular character, for whereas in present
\nday, many people are attracted to the pleasures of the world,
\nBhisma chose to take up a life in the monastery, abandoning the
\npleasures of the world.\"<\/p>\n
Swamintaya will have a challenge performing the wayang kulit
\nin English because it is usually performed in Javanese and Kawi
\n(a sacred Javanese language based on Sanskrit).<\/p>\n
\"In performing for a western audience, there is the difficulty
\nof expressing Javanese philosophy in a western way -- Javanese
\nphilosophy is difficult to translate literally, so it must be
\ntranslated freely, adapting to the present situation.\"<\/p>\n
Swamintaya maintained, however, that performing wayang in
\nEnglish does not necessarily detract from the essence of the
\noriginal art form.<\/p>\n
\"The meaning is not lost, just different,\" he said. \"The
\nBeatles' song Yesterday, sung by The Beatles, Frank Sinatra,
\nShirley Bassy, Engelbert Humperdink and even Tom Jones, is still
\nthe same song, it is just the way it is sung which changes.\"<\/p>\n
The Mahabrata consists of 150 lakons (episodes), and usually
\nabout nine hours in length. Swamintaya will be focusing on the
\nlife of Bhisma as told throughout this epic but will condense the
\nperformance to a few hours. He will also include the Hasta Brata
\nfrom the Ramayana.<\/p>\n
\"Hasta Brata has been used as guidance by kings for many
\ncenturies. It is not found in Indian philosophy but was written
\nby a Javanese court poet in the 18th century.\"<\/p>\n
Wayang has survived many obstacles, and now it must compete
\nwith movies, television and other forms of modern entertainment,
\npossibly the greatest of any obstacles it has faced so far. So
\nwhat does the future hold for wayang?<\/p>\n
\"With the current economic problems, wayang will run slowly
\nbut wayang has persisted for more than 15 centuries in this
\ncountry and it will last, as long as the dalang can present it in
\nan interesting way,\" Swamintaya said.<\/p>\n
\"I am optimistic. I am sure wayang will become better\".<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ancient-javanese-shadow-drama-set-for-english-performance-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }