JP\/9\/SASKIA<\/p>\n
Sunaryo Sakia struggles to preserve Surabaya-style 'ludruk'<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Surabaya<\/p>\n
Sunaryo Sakia, 49, the leader of Irama Budaya Surabaya -- a
\nludruk art group, an indigenous East Java folk drama featuring an
\nall-male cast -- was hanging his head as the day-long heavy rain
\npoured down in Surabaya, as it meant that many of his fans would
\nbe unable to come to the troupe's performance that night.<\/p>\n
\"Many of my fans will certainly be unable to make it.
\nNevertheless, the show must go on regardless of the size of the
\naudience,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
In 1970s, when ludruk was a cultural icon with which Surabaya
\nwas usually associated, Irama Budaya, set up in 1987, was not yet
\na famous group. It was just a small ludruk troupe with only 15
\nmembers recruited from the activists of the Ploso Tambak Sari
\nneighborhood youth association in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Many big ludruk troupes, such as Adipura, Rukun Budaya and
\nArbaya, frequently performed at Surabaya People's Entertainment
\nPark. Members of these big groups were usually well paid.
\nUnfortunately, many of them have disbanded now because of
\ndiminishing public interest in this dramatic folk art.<\/p>\n
Today, however, Irama Budaya is becoming a force to be
\nreckoned with as it is the only ludruk group that has survived in
\nSurabaya.<\/p>\n
Sakia also deserves to be praised for his struggle to ensure
\nthe survival of ludruk in Surabaya, although, unfortunately, he
\nhas yet to be properly recognized for his efforts in preserving
\nthis traditional art genre.<\/p>\n
It's a difficult job for Sakia to ensure that ludruk stays
\nalive. There have been times when he has even contemplated
\ndisbanding his group.<\/p>\n
\"I don't get any profit from this job. The proceeds from
\nticket sales are just enough to pay the players. I have even sold
\nmy beauty parlor so that I can finance the activities of this
\ngroup,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also sets aside some of the money he earns as a traditional
\nhealer to ensure the survival of his group.<\/p>\n
Another problem he has to deal with comes from the disapproval
\nshown by the residents living in the neighborhood where the group
\noften performs.<\/p>\n
\"I was once asked by the residents of an elite housing estate
\nin Surabaya to leave our performance place because they were
\ndisturbed by the Javanese music played to accompany our
\nperformances,\" he said.<\/p>\n
His group usually holds performances in the open during the
\ndry season. In the wet season, they perform inside.<\/p>\n
When they perform in the open, they put up a stage and small
\nwooden huts for the players to sleep in. The stage and the huts
\nwill stay there for four to five months. Sakia prefers to perform
\nat one place because if the group performs at different places he
\nhas to spend a lot of money on transportation.<\/p>\n
The open space where Irama Budaya often holds its performances
\nis Moroseneng, a red-light area in Surabaya. This place was
\nchosen because commercial sex workers are very fond of ludruk.
\nBesides, the people of Moroseneng, usually from lower economic
\nclasses, seem to like ludruk more than people of the upper
\nclasses.<\/p>\n
After talking with The Jakarta Post for a while, Sakia took
\nthe vegetables that he had just bought at Wonokromo Market, about
\ntwo kilometers away from where the group would perform, into the
\ndressing room, which was also used as a kitchen.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Sakia is responsible for the daily lives of the
\ngroup's 62 members, who all live in the group's center at Pulo
\nWonokromo, Surabaya. Besides buying foodstuffs from the market,
\nhe also makes sure that the proceeds from ticket sales are
\nproperly distributed to the group's members.<\/p>\n
Sometimes Sakia's group is invited to perform at parties held
\nby local officials. For such performances, the group gets paid
\nabout Rp 3 million (US$315).<\/p>\n
Generally, the group earns between Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000
\nfrom ticket sales.<\/p>\n
On average, a player taking part in a performance will be paid
\nRp 5,000 to Rp 10,000 per day plus a daily meal allowance. Part
\nof the income the group gets from a special invitations is given
\nto players as a bonus, while the remaining money is spent on
\nequipment like costumes and musical instruments.<\/p>\n
\"If we don't have any special invitations, I can afford only
\nvegetables,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Although ludruk players earn very little -- their income is
\neven lower than the 2005 minimum regional wage of Rp 575,000 a
\nmonth -- the group's members stay on.<\/p>\n
To help group members earn more money, Sakia allows them to
\nengage in their own side business, for example, by taking up
\nsewing, knitting or doing bridal make-up. Fifteen of the group's
\n62 members have their own sideline business.<\/p>\n
\"I always encourage my group's members to continue to preserve
\nludruk. The very small income is indeed a problem, but it will be
\na much bigger problem if ludruk, which is an indigenous art of
\nSurabaya, becomes extinct,\" he noted.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp9saskia-1447899208",
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