Top puppeteers in demand -- for a price<\/p>\n
By Kafil Yamin<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Udung Supriatna was forced to sell his car to
\npay for that special something at his daughter's wedding
\nreception.<\/p>\n
To the delight of everybody in his neighborhood, he hired
\npopular wayang golek puppeteer Ade Kosasih.<\/p>\n
\"It cost me Rp 10 million. I had to do it because it was the
\nrequest of my youngest daughter,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ade lowered his fee for his friend Supriatna, a former village
\nhead.<\/p>\n
\"If somebody else hires Ade, the price can be Rp 15 million or
\nso,\" Supriatna said.<\/p>\n
If a family plans to hold a wedding party or sunatan
\ncircumcision ceremony) in a Sundanese community, people in the
\nneighborhood usually hope for an all-night wayang golek show.
\nThey usually stay awake until the show's conclusion in the wee
\nhours.<\/p>\n
Despite its popularity, the performances are increasingly
\nrare. For one, the show is expensive for middle-income families,
\nlet alone low-income ones.<\/p>\n
\"Only the rich can afford to hire a top dalang (puppeteer),\"
\nsaid Iwan Suryawan, a fan of the art form.<\/p>\n
For another, there are few puppeteers left.<\/p>\n
\"Even those with talent would think twice about becoming
\nprofessional dalang because they would see gloomy days ahead,\"
\nsaid Juju Juanda of the Bandung station of state radio network
\nRRI.<\/p>\n
Data at Taman Budaya Sunda reflect the decline; only 53
\npuppeteers are registered at the Sundanese cultural center.
\n\"Years before there were hundreds,\" said Eli Suliasih from the
\ncenter.<\/p>\n
She said people were more concerned about saving money than
\nmaintaining traditions.<\/p>\n
\"People will think about cost-efficiency. Instead of spending
\ntens of millions of rupiah, they would hire a fledging popular
\nmusic group. That would cost no more than Rp 2 million or so,
\nwith the same potential to draw a huge crowd.\"<\/p>\n
Many puppeteers acknowledge their high price but said there
\nwas no other choice. They noted the problem was the number of
\npeople required for the performance, usually from 20 to 25,
\nmostly members of the gamelan orchestra.<\/p>\n
\"All of them must be paid,\" said a puppeteer. \"If a member of
\nthe group gets Rp 400,000, then the whole group would need at
\nleast Rp 10 million.<\/p>\n
\"The amount does not cover the puppeteer's fee and the money
\nthat needs to be put aside for the period when there are no
\nbookings for performances.\"<\/p>\n
Puppeteers argue their fees are low if their working hours are
\nfactored in, including preparation for the show and the cleanup.<\/p>\n
Their long working hours are due to the rigors of the script.
\nWayang weaves in stories taken from the Hindu epic Mahabrata,
\nwith local nuances added.<\/p>\n
All wayang stories can be condensed in one theme: the war
\nbetween good and evil. Legend has it that Sunan Kalijaga, one of
\nthe wali songo (nine holy men), created the art as a medium to
\npropagate Islam in Java.<\/p>\n
Thus, the wayang is not only a cultural show, but also a
\nsacred performance, with a ritual opening led by the puppeteer.<\/p>\n
The length of the shows is one of the difficulties for the
\ntraditional art to make the crossover to modern electronic media.
\nSlow-paced and lasting for hours, Wayang cannot fit into regular
\nTV viewing schedules.<\/p>\n
In a more industrialized society, people do not have the time
\nto devote to long stories like the wayang. The audiences are
\nstill there, but they are limited in number and age group.<\/p>\n
\"Those who stay awake to listen or watch wayang performances
\nare old Sundanese people, or youths who are socially marginalized
\njust like the art they are enjoying,\" said a Sundanese culture
\nfigure.<\/p>\n
\"The youths are usually jobless. They enjoy wayang while
\nplaying cards or something.\"<\/p>\n
In a bid to preserve the traditional art, the arts and culture
\noffice of the Bandung city administration provided regular wayang
\nperformances at affordable ticket prices in a modest theater
\nbuilding on Jl. Naripan. It is a venue where fledging dalang have
\nthe chance to perform.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the audiences did not show up.<\/p>\n
The regular shows were then moved to the RRI building -- and
\nthe number of viewers was still low.<\/p>\n
\"Only when top dalang like Asep Sunandar Sunarya or Ade
\nKosasih are on show will people flock to the hall,\" said Juju.<\/p>\n
What does it take to be a top puppeteer?<\/p>\n
According to RRI's survey, people like dalang for three main
\nreasons. First, a dalang should have a good voice, more
\nspecifically a baritone with the flexibility to voice different
\ncharacters.<\/p>\n
\"When we hear a dalang with suara cempreng (a shrill voice),
\nwe just ignore him,\" a fan said.<\/p>\n
Second is the ability to characterize si Dawala alias si
\nCepot, a popular clown figure in wayang golek. The voice and
\njokes of si Cepot are specific to the play, and true wayang fans
\ncan identify his voice with the dialect.<\/p>\n
Inseparable with the perfect tone of voice is the skill of
\nplaying the different characters.<\/p>\n
\"Every character in wayang has individual gestures, style and
\nexpressions. Each character has specific ways of dancing,
\ngreeting and fighting. And wayang fans know them well,\" said
\nJuju.<\/p>\n
He added the other requirement was the ability to modify the
\ntales into short, condensed and interesting performances which
\nwould fit in with the needs of modern audiences.<\/p>",
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