'Rodad': Wonosobo's religious art show<\/p>\n
By Bambang M<\/p>\n
WONOSOBO, Central Java (JP): The cool town located at the foot
\nof Sumbing and Sindoro mountains has charmed millions of people
\nwith its breathtaking scenery.<\/p>\n
But the gorgeous landscape on the Dieng Plateau is not the
\nonly fascination that Wonosobo has to offer. Visitors often come
\nto the town to see its cultural shows, the best known being a
\nreligious art performance called Rodad.<\/p>\n
Performed by 12 to 16 men and accompanied by Islamic songs,
\nthe dance was adopted from the graceful fighting style of the
\nindigenous Pencak Silat martial art.<\/p>\n
Standing face to face in two rows, the movements consist of
\nkicking, punching and deflecting the opponent's attack.<\/p>\n
A rodad performance usually lasts for about an hour, during
\nwhich some 15 songs are sung by six to eight singers. Some sing
\nwhile beating traditional drums locally known as rebana and
\njidor. Four rebanas and a jidor are usually used.<\/p>\n
\"Rodad is one of the popular Islamic art performances in the
\nregion,\" said Suprapto, 39, leader of the Putra Remaja rodad
\ngroup from Tembi village, Wonosobo. He added that almost all the
\nvillages in the region have a rodad group.<\/p>\n
Many rodad songs consist mostly of Islamic preaching,
\nreminding Muslims not to ignore their duty to say their prayers
\nfive times a day and to recite the holy Koran verses. Some songs
\nalso tell people to promote peace and be loyal to the Indonesian
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
There are no reliable records on the history of rodad.
\nMujiyono, an instructor of Putra Remaja, says rodad was created
\nby Kyai Nachrowi, a tarekat Muslim cleric from Yogyakarta. He
\ncreated the dance after he moved from Yogyakarta to Wonosobo in
\n1942. Then Kyai Nachrowi built an Islamic boarding school there
\nand began to introduce the art.<\/p>\n
In the past, the dance was performed only by young men. They
\nwere mostly students of Islamic boarding schools who were
\nlearning the Koran.<\/p>\n
\"Kyai Nachrowi created it to make his students more active in
\nreciting the Koran's verses,\" Mujiyono says.<\/p>\n
Members of Putra Remaja practice rodad every Sunday and
\nThursday nights after they say their evening prayers (Isya).\"We
\ntrain from 8.p.m.to 10 p.m. in the yard of al-Huda Musholla
\n(small mosque) in Tembi,\" says Suprato, who is also a potato
\nfarmer.<\/p>\n
Even though all rodad dances have the basic movements of
\nPencak Silat, each rodad group has its own style. They also wear
\ndifferent costumes. It's not surprising, therefore, to see some
\nrodad groups wearing Pencak Silat costumes while others choose to
\nwear the dress of the traditional drama ketoprak.<\/p>\n
Putra Remaja's shows focus strictly the basic movements of
\nPencak Silat. Other groups, such as Sari Sakti from Sariyoso
\nvillage, show a more rigorous fighting style.<\/p>\n
Others combine the dance with the use of inner energy. In one
\nperformance, a dancer had a large boulder put on his stomach
\nwhich was then hammered to pieces. In another, a dancer enters a
\ntrance and proceeds to eat flowers and glass or drink perfumed
\noil. By the end of the show, a shaman will bring the tranced
\ndancer back to normal by blowing air into the dancer's ear.<\/p>\n
Rodad is often performed in Wonosobo Town Square during
\nspecial events, such as the town's birthday ceremony to attract
\nvisitors. In villages, rodad is performed to commemorate Prophet
\nMuhammad's birthday, wedding parties, and mass recitations of
\nKoranic verses.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rodad-wonosobos-religious-art-show-1447893297",
"image": ""
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