Wangi devotes life to dying folk art<\/p>\n
Zora Rahman, Contributor, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Wangi ("fragrant") is a very unusual name, but whoever meets
\nWangi Indriya Taham discovers that this name suits her. The
\npetite and tender woman has the presence and vivacity of a
\nbeguiling fragrance, filling all corners of a room with her
\ncharisma, as soon as she begins to interact.<\/p>\n
This is -- besides her talent, of course -- probably the main
\nreason for her success as an artist. Having not only a well-known
\nreputation in mask dance or traditional theater, Wangi is also
\none of the very few women actively performing as a dalang (puppet
\nmaster), a strictly male-dominated art.<\/p>\n
Another likely reason is her heritage, as she originates from
\na family of popular dalang, deeply rooted in the traditional arts
\nof Cirebon, where everybody from childhood is exposed to all
\nkinds of traditional arts -- dance, wayang, theater, wood carving
\nor sculpture.<\/p>\n
"The art runs in my family, it has been our bread and butter
\nand will continue to be so," Wangi said. "The older ones are used
\nto bringing the younger ones to their performances, so they will
\nlearn how the art is practiced. But we never force anybody to
\nbecome an artist. Some of our children learn the arts as a hobby
\nand later they can choose to make it their profession."<\/p>\n
The 41-year-old mother of three sons today leads Sanggar Mulya
\nBhakti, a dance school in her hometown of Jatibarang, founded by
\nher father Taham in 1983. The permanent members of the Sanggar
\n(studio) currently represent three generations: Wangi's father's
\ngeneration, artists of her own age as the majority, and a couple
\nof beginners from her children's generation.<\/p>\n
"Most of us are related in many ways, so we are all part of a
\nbig family -- either by blood or by marriage. Two of the most
\nimportant musicians in the group are my cousins and we have been
\nplaying together since we were very small," she said.<\/p>\n
Although she has a very cautious and modest appearance, the
\nsecond of four sisters learned to assert herself from an early
\nage. Since her adolescence, Wangi learned the mask dance from her
\ngrandfather, who was a very strict teacher.<\/p>\n
"Training at home was far from the entire program," Wangi
\nsays. "After school, I had to cruise the streets and dance from
\ndoor to door. Sometimes I cried and ran away from lessons."<\/p>\n
It was also her grandfather who first took her to wayang
\nperformances.<\/p>\n
"When I was nine years old, grandpa was already quite old and
\nhis popularity started to drop. So he asked me to open the
\nperformance, like an introduction, before he started to play."<\/p>\n
However, at first Wangi was not very keen on becoming a
\ndalang. Theater and dancing seemed more interesting to her. In
\naddition to extensive training in all traditional arts (wayang,
\nCirebon mask dance and theater) in Indramayu, Wangi had taken
\ncontemporary dance courses at the Indonesian Arts Institute
\n(STSI) in Solo and Bandung.<\/p>\n
"I appreciate my experience in contemporary dance projects,
\nconsidering that period an important learning stage for me,"
\nWangi said. "Contemporary arts give artists space to express
\ntheir feelings. This is in contradiction with traditional arts,
\nwhere freedom of expression is limited by rules and specific
\ntechniques we have to comply with. Of course, there is room for
\ninterpretation and improvisation, but much less than in
\ncontemporary arts."<\/p>\n
Wangi stopped performing after she got married. It was only in
\nthe beginning of the 1990s that she started to practice again at
\nthe request of her father. She initially just took over parts of
\nher father's wayang performances, until the people got to know
\nher, then she herself was asked to play in local ceremonies.<\/p>\n
To perform as a dalang is particularly challenging for women,
\nmainly because of the voice register. Especially the very deep
\nand hoarse voice of the ogre, a regular character of almost every
\nwayang play, which is in a range that is very difficult to manage
\nfor a woman.<\/p>\n
"In some villages they refuse to have female dalang, because
\nthey are not satisfied with a woman's voice," Wangi said.<\/p>\n
Though rare, there are other female dalang in Indonesia, as
\nWangi knows since she participated at the Women's Dalang Festival
\nin Solo in 1996.<\/p>\n
"There are a few women dalang in Cirebon, but they are already
\nquite old - maybe two of them are still alive," she says. "But
\nthere hasn't been a female dalang in Indramayu since the 1930s."<\/p>\n
The art of wayang has recently started to change. To keep the
\naudience interested, the performances have become more flexible
\nand interactive. If a spectator requests a special song, the
\ndalang will comply.<\/p>\n
Wangi responds to this development with her own style. "I try
\nto be more communicative with the audience, for example by
\ninserting several jokes, just to build up a more comfortable
\natmosphere."<\/p>\n
Her latest project is the interpretation of an old German
\nsilhouette film from 1926, The Adventures of Prince Achmed by
\nLotte Reiniger. Instead of the original symphonic soundtrack,
\nWangi and her orchestra accompany the silent movie, whose figures
\nare inspired by Asian shadowplay, with traditional narration and
\ngamelan music.<\/p>\n
Even though working with an animation film seemed very strange
\nto her in the beginning, she dared to experiment with
\nincorporating the two media. The final success surprised her and
\nreconfirmed her decision to keep traditional arts alive through
\nthe integration with modern art.<\/p>\n
Since she is the one continuing the family tradition, her
\nfather is always with her. He even accompanies her on her regular
\ntravels with her group, performing at various dalang or dance
\nfestivals throughout Indonesia, or touring several other
\ncountries to introduce and exhibit wayang and the mask dance.<\/p>\n
"Of course, I am deeply influenced by both my father and my
\ngrandfather. But the three of us have been staging performances
\nin three different eras, so I think each of us also has a unique
\ncharacter and style", Wangi says. "Even while performing with my
\nfather, I have to fulfill the requirements of a good artist
\nregardless of whom I work with."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/wangi-devotes-life-to-dying-folk-art-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}