Balinese traditional Arja opera cheers Jakartans
By Tuti Gintini
JAKARTA (JP): Bali is noted for its natural beauty and traditional sendratari (dance-drama).
The island of the gods is also the birthplace of a unique opera. Arja is an old form of court dance-drama blending dance, music, vocal and dialog.
Rarely performed outside Bali, the Arja traditional opera was chosen to conclude the 20-day International Festival 2000 at Gedung Kesenian on Sept. 9.
The Arja Bon dance troupe performed Bandarasura which tells of the tragedy of the brave prime minister Bandarasura from the ancient Wirasengga kingdom.
Bandasura is derived from two words that mean "a brave man (sura) tied by worldly passion (banda)".
The play centers on the life of the prime minister and his uncontrolled passion for the beautiful queen of Daha Diah Kusuma Dewi, wife of King Jenggala. Filled with lust and love, Bandasura raped the queen.
The three-hour play was jointly performed by artists from Singapadu, Kramas Gianyar as well artists and students of the Denpasar Arts Institute (ISI).
Performed on a simple stage decorated with janur (yellow coconut leaves) ornaments reflecting Bali's characteristics, the Arja performance enchanted the audience with songs, dances, dialog and gamelan music (traditional orchestra).
Some musicians sat with legs crossed at stage left. They wore radiant costumes of assorted colors, ornamented by accessories from head to toe.
For three hours, viewers were entertained with a series of operatic scenes, dances and songs, locally called macapat, sometimes sung in a very high pitch. The audience was mesmerized by this delicate performance of Balinese artists.
People say the Arja players maintain a tight discipline in practicing their vocal skills. They usually sing and practice amidst a waterfall. They also undergo various spiritual exercises such as meditation and fasting before performing.
It was presummed Arja originated in 1825 during the reign of king I Dewa Agung Sakti in Klungkung, East Bali.
The word Arja is derived from the Kawi (Old Javanese) word reja or areja, meaning beautiful entertainment. The dramas presented are generally taken from Panji and Malat stories, a legend based on the story of Prince Panji from East Java.
Arja groups perform favorite stories like Pakang Raras, Linggar Petak, Jar Pikatan, Cipta Kalangen, Made Umbara, as well as stories from China, Sampek Engtay (the Balinese call it Sampik Ingtai).
Some Western theater observers call the Arja an opera or musical comedy, because, though generally the story is a tragedy, many humorous scenes are performed by punakawan (servants).
The punakawan are the ones who insert messages or social criticisms that sometimes make the viewers roar with laughter.
Sometimes, they use Bahasa Indonesia and colloquial language. But the serious parts of the story are spoken in Balinese dialect.
Arja started to develop in villages on Bali around 1904. During the all Bali Arja Festival last year, nine regencies and municipalities participated, presenting complete and all-out Arjas.
The Arja opera, which unfortunately did not give any impression of the colossal kingdom, was performed by Ni Nyoman Candri, Ni Ketut Warni, Cokorda Istri Partini, Sang Ketut Sandiyasa, I Ketut Kodi, Cokorda Istri Agung, Ni Wayan Tirta, and Cokorda Raka Tisnu.
The Director was Cokorda Raka Tisnu, assisted by I Wayan Rai, Kadek Suardana, and I Wayan Dibia.