Sober religious tale belies during acrobatic performance<\/p>\n
By Yogita Tahil Ramani<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Droves of people pressed forward for a closer
\nlook as the woman deftly twirled a baton and simultaneously
\ntossed wooden boxes, a couple of stools and more with her strong
\nflailing legs.<\/p>\n
Fire-eating and the perfectly timed acrobatics drew gasps of
\nadmiration and awe. But there was a religious touch to Genjring
\nDog-Dog (tambourine and drum beats) at Taman Ismail Marzuki last
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
The Cirebon tradition is performed by an all-female acrobatic
\ntroupe to Islamic music sung and played by a chorus of men and
\nwomen. It tells of a missionary's attempts to teach people about
\nIslam.<\/p>\n
Organizer Engkus Mashuri said the acrobatic performances had
\nbeen restricted to Islamic boarding schools until the 17th
\ncentury.<\/p>\n
Commercialization followed as its popularity increased, and
\nthe performance was recognized for its attention to mystical
\naspects of religion.<\/p>\n
There was an ethereal quality to the performance and the cool,
\nsilent but brightly lit surroundings enhanced the surreal mood as
\n10 women showed their stuff with Copperfield-esque chutzpah.<\/p>\n
The performance begun with a squat woman standing on a wooden
\nbox, arching her back and doing a somersault. Three additional
\nboxes later, the woman did back somersaults off a secured plank
\nfrom a towering height, with men standing guard to catch her
\nfall. They did not need to as she landed each fall perfectly.<\/p>\n
Engkus spoke of the women's religious faith. \"These women have
\ntheir special prayers to God, which they recite to give them the
\npower to perform and attract,\" said Engkus. He said only women
\nwere trained because they were more graceful, skilled and devout.<\/p>\n
\"Their inner strengths are focused, and not scattered all over
\nthe place, when it comes to religion.\"<\/p>\n
He said only a few groups remained in preserving the
\ntradition.<\/p>\n
The second act had two women sleeping on their backs, with
\nfeet raised to the sky and boxes placed on the soles of their
\nfeet. They tossed the boxes like footballs in the air, and
\nexpertly had them spinning with amazing speed, before each threw
\nboxes for the other to catch and spin with their feet. The mind-
\nblowing juggling act went further in adding a third person, and
\nrhythmic beats complemented each toss of the box.<\/p>\n
The shocker-theme began with another short woman, and wheels.
\nThere was nothing exceptional in her riding a single-wheeled
\ncycle, until she placed a similar rotating one with oil-soaked
\nrags tied to strings and on fire on her towel-cloaked head.<\/p>\n
One hand balanced the cycle she was riding, while the other
\nrotated the wheel of fire atop her head.<\/p>\n
Unperturbed, the woman coolly lit a cigarette and enjoyed a
\nsmoke.<\/p>\n
The same woman later juggled three soft drink bottles in the
\nair, uncapped each one of them with her teeth and guzzled the
\ncontents. She emptied the bottles in a matter of minutes.<\/p>\n
Ironically, the only people whose senses had not taken flight
\nwere the performers themselves. They did not seem to be basking
\nin the mystique and were ordinarily cheery, playing with their
\nkids and walking around the stage area during breaks, seemingly
\nwithout a care in the world.<\/p>\n
One of the evening's highlights was tightrope walking. A rope
\nwas fastened to two ends of a pole, and a woman trotted on the
\nthin rope with a long bamboo stick in hand and a filled sack tied
\nto one of its ends.<\/p>\n
Next, two glasses distanced from one another, were placed on
\nthe rope and a box added on top of the glasses. The woman sat on
\nthe box, and moved up and down. The glasses never broke.<\/p>\n
The show stopper paired a woman and her motorbike.<\/p>\n
The woman lay on her back, and a motorcycle carried by two men
\nwas placed on the soles of her feet. The men held it there for a
\nfew excruciatingly suspenseful seconds, before the woman
\ncoordinated her leg muscles into balancing the vehicle.<\/p>\n
She then moved her legs in an upward and downward motion, not
\nonce disturbing the balance of the resting vehicle on her feet.
\nThe minutes seemed to pass forever before the men came to unload
\nthe vehicle off her feet.<\/p>\n
This particular act was repeated with people sitting on the
\nvehicle. Three children sat on the balanced vehicle the second
\ntime, a huge man the third, and two more in the final round of
\nthe act.<\/p>\n
The presence of mysticism lingered in the air as soulful music
\nplayed to end the performance. It was something unlikely to be
\nseen for a long time to come.<\/p>",
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