Unmasking the traditions of 'Topeng Cirebon'<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Helly Minarti<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): She kicks her skinny leg with fierce power
\nand hurls her red-chiffon shawl (selendang) to rip the air. She
\nwaves her arms alternately, staccato-style, in amazingly brisk
\nmovements. Her head shakes furiously and then comes to a sudden
\nand precise stop.<\/p>\n
The audience, mostly international tourists, gasped in awe. A
\nhandful of reporters came closer to follow her movements with
\ntheir clicking cameras and flashing lights. And the surprises
\nwere not over yet. She then bent her knee down in preparation to
\nperform the classic galeong -- the trademark of her dancing style
\n-- by rotating her upper body back almost 360 degrees.<\/p>\n
Bear in mind that Sawitri, the Cirebon masked dancer from
\nLosari, a regency on the border of east and west Java, is 70
\nyears old.<\/p>\n
Sawitri, or Mak (Grandma) Sawitri as she is affectionately
\ncalled by her students, has been dancing since she was nine years
\nold. She is the sixth generation descendant of Dato Kunten, the
\npatriarch of Losari, which is the home to one of the most famous
\ntraditions of Cirebon's masked dance. She learned the dance
\ndirectly from her father Sumitra.<\/p>\n
On last Sunday's clear night she didn't perform at a modest
\nlocal feast in her village, nor at a grand hall as she has
\nseveral times since the world began to recognize her talent and
\nthe dance.<\/p>\n
The venue was the Javanese style restaurant in Jogja Village
\nInn, a cozy, artistic small hotel on Yogyakarta's outskirts.<\/p>\n
With tickets costing Rp 15,000, a high price for the small
\ntown, only 51 people came to this rare performance of mask
\ntheater. The dance mistress was accompanied by her unique trio of
\ndancers -- her grandaughter Taningsih, Monica Wulff, a German-
\nAustralian, and Didik Nini Thowok, a popular dancer who gained
\nfame through his own choreographed comedy dances.<\/p>\n
\"This is a spontaneous cooperation between my recently
\nestablished foundation, Yayasan Didik Nini Thowok, and the inn to
\nsupport the traditional dance,\" Didik said.<\/p>\n
The masked dance of Cirebon has many distinct styles,
\ndistinguished by movements and accompanying music, and named
\nafter the villages where they originated. The Losari style is one
\nof the most significant since it developed unique choreography
\nfrom the Selangit, Ciwulung or Gegesik versions. Most of the
\ndances are based on the Ramayana or Mahabharata epics, with the
\nadventures of Prince Panji, a knight, among the most popular
\nsources of material.<\/p>\n
In the past there were numerous styles. Now, due to inevitable
\nmodernization, they have declined and only a few dances remain.
\nThe performance presented three examples of the Losari and one of
\nCiwulung, plus an entertaining new dance by Didik Nini Thowok.<\/p>\n
The repertoire<\/p>\n
Monica Wulff, who has studied the masked dance on and off
\nduring her frequent visits to Indonesia since 1992, opened the
\nperformance with the Losari Pamindo, representing Panji. Wearing
\na white mask -- a symbol of purity -- her feet glided gently on
\nthe floor while her body, hands and fingers vibrated with equal
\ntenderness.<\/p>\n
Taningsih danced the second part, Tumenggung. The character
\nsymbolizes the powerful ruler. Wearing a white mask, she moved
\nbriskly and powerfully. The typical head movement accentuates the
\naura of Tumenggung (Regent) Magangdiraja. The white mask is
\nsometimes interpreted as a symbol of Western colonial power from
\nthe 18th century to the 20th. In this version, Tumenggung's white
\nmask symbolizes the political authority invested in regents by
\nthe colonists.<\/p>\n
Didik Nini Thowok then presented the only non-Losari mask
\ndance, Rumyang. Didik, who studied the dance directly with the
\nrenowned Madame Sudji, showed the exquisite movements from his
\nlong training in various dances. Rumyang represents another
\nknight with more refined, almost effeminate traits. At a glance,
\nhis movements behind his blue mask were delicate and simpler than
\nprevious pieces.<\/p>\n
\"I can't say that a certain style is easier than others
\nbecause every style has its own uniqueness,\" Didik said.
\n\"Ciluwung or Palimanan is so rich with small details and they're
\nnot so easy.\"<\/p>\n
Didik's basic dance background is in Sundanese, Javanese and
\nBali dances, but he deliberately tries to expose himself to other
\ntraditional works. And he is now expanding his scope by learning
\nthe Losari style from its principal exponent, Sawitri.<\/p>\n
Sawitri finally got her turn to show her legendary experience
\nand the self-journey from what her ancestors left to her. As
\nalways, she began her dance with a short prayer. \"I pray to the
\nAlmighty and also ask for blessings from my karuhun (ancestors),\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Klana or Kelana Banopati, the masked character she portrayed,
\nrepresents the Rahwana, the notorious giant in the Ramayana epic.<\/p>\n
All eyes were on Sawitri in her deep red mask. Her seemingly
\nfragile thigh barely quivered as she lifted one of her legs and
\nheld it for a few moments. She also easily moved from swinging
\nher legs wildly in the air to returning them still to the floor.
\nHer sinewy arms moved up and down at blink-like speed in time to
\nthe gamelan music.<\/p>\n
Didik Nini Thowok closed the night with an encore performance
\nof own creation, a comedy dance using a mask, entitled Topeng
\nWalang Kekek. Didik wore a shocking pink kebaya paired with a
\nsilvery-blue long skirt and the Javanese hairbun. He topped it
\noff with an outrageous pair of yellow plastic glasses that would
\nhave made Elton John proud.<\/p>\n
The dance was a humorous portrayal of the passage of youth and
\nold age in a woman's life. As the young woman, Didik coquettishly
\nstretched long feminine fingers, moved his arms energetically and
\nthrew soulful looks with his heavily made-up eyes. He
\noccasionally made a deliberately awkward or comic movement to
\nupset the elegance of the austere classical routine. He followed
\nhis dynamic and skillful Jaipongan turn with moonwalking made
\nfamous by Michael Jackson.<\/p>\n
The audience was particularly amused when he changed the sleek
\nblack hairbun for a gray one for the old woman role, contrasting
\nher zest for life with her body's inability to keep apace.<\/p>\n
Last Sunday's performance was followed by a mini workshop in
\nwhich the audience could ask questions. The interesting queries,
\nseveral audience members put through simple dance paces by the
\ndancers and a friendly photo session ended the evening nicely. It
\nwas a serious discussion of a dying part of the Cirebon masked
\ndance but in an amusing and relaxed manner. It had depth but was
\nnot too heavy to cast a shadow over the evening.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unmasking-the-traditions-of-topeng-cirebon-1447893297",
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