Balinese troupe brings Calonarang to Paris

Balinese troupe brings Calonarang to Paris

Kunang Helmi, Contributor, Paris

At the April 7 premiere of I Made Djimat's Balinese dance troupe, his mother, 81-year-old Ni Ketut Cenik, astounded Parisians with her spirited performance of the joged pingitan in the musical dance introduction.

A French spectator was also heard telling a friend: "This Balinese dancer Djimat is like the Nijinsky of contemporary Balinese dance."

Made Djimat is more down to earth than Nijinsky was, despite his recognition as the maestro of Balinese dance. The mother and son were the stars of the four Calonarang performances organized by the Festival dein Paris from April 7 to April 10.

The festival was founded nine years ago by Cherif Khaznadar, director of La Maison des Cultures du Monde, and takes place during the March-April period in Paris. His vision, supported by his wife Dr. Francoise Grund, also his deputy, was to celebrate world culture, including theatrical, musical, dance and ritual performance.

Khaznadar said of the traditional performing art and the creations that arise from these living traditions: "In the very beginning, we decided to illustrate the cultural diversity of the peoples of our contemporary world. Therefore, we invite only the best performers we can find."

Khaznadar recalls inviting Djimat's troupe Panti Pusaka Budaya and his mother to perform in 1987: "I vividly remember when they danced the gambuh, calonarang and topeng. We are looking forward to a repeat of their earlier success with their particular version of the Calonarang dance drama."

Djimat's troupe of 11 musicians and 20 dancers premiered at the famous Theatre du Soleil in Vincennes, on the outskirts of Paris.

Ariane Mnouchkine, who founded the theater company just over 40 years ago, was delighted to host the Balinese troupe.

"I have a special affinity with dance in Bali and many members of our theater company have visited I Made Djimat in Batuan, Bali, to learn more about Balinese dance, theater and music."

The second half of the performance presented the troupe's version of the historical Balinese Calonarang dance drama, which is traditionally danced next to the pura dalem, or death temple, which is typically located close to the village graveyard, and it is always performed at night.

In the Batuan village version by Made Djimat, King Erlangga meets the beautiful Diah Ratna Menggali. Bedazzled by her beauty, the king decides to marry her, but his court disapproves because she is the daughter of Calonarang, Dirah's widow and whom they strongly suspect of witchcraft.

King Erlangga (danced by Djimat's son I Nyoman Terima) changes his mind and sends his minister, Patih Madri, to carry the annulment letter to Diah's mother, Calonarang. Upon reading it, Calonarang, whose role is magnificently interpreted here by Made Djimat, falls into a black rage.

Indeed, Calonarang is a powerful sorceress who offers sacrifices to Durga, a bloodthirsty goddess embodying a number of local divinities and demonesses.

She immediately orders her apprentices, the sisia (one of whom danced by Djimat's mother), and especially to Larung, the most powerful of them, to kill the minister and destroy the kingdom of Erlangga.

During the ensuing combat between Patih Madri and sisia, Larung (played superbly by Djimat's niece, Ni Wayan Sekariani) transforms into a huge eagle, Garuda, and kills Patih Madri by tearing out his eyes with its beak.

Upon hearing of the death of Patih Madri, Patih Maling Maguna (played by Djimat's son I Nyoman Terima) sets forth to avenge his younger brother's death and begins a bitter duel with Calonarang.

Enraged, both unleash their secret powers during this combat. Calonarang turns into the witch-queen Rangda and Patih Maling Maguna turns into the Barong, a lion-like creature and an embodiment of the forces of good. Both are pemurtian, manifestations of terrifying and supernatural power.

Varying reactions among the audience were observed after the Paris premiere.

Denis Vicherat, a photographer who first saw the Calonarang 20 years ago in Batuan, Bali, confessed: "I was moved because I remembered the performances in temples around Batuan and Ibu Cenik is much older now. But the same complicity exists between mother and son. Without expressly communicating, and both anchored in their different roles, I still sensed a wonderful exchange of creative energy."

Erhard Stiefel, a renowned Swiss mask-maker for European theaters who studied the craft in Japan, said, "The actual Calonarang (performance) was of greater interest to me than the introductory dances. I hope that the Balinese dance tradition will not become watered down, and also that the original costumes, masks and make-up should be preserved. Japan has a very strict approach to the preservation of original traditions, which should be applied to Bali."

Stiefel's wish was echoed by French dance critic Rafael de Gubernatis, who added: "I am only interested in pure dance and the Balinese tradition of interspersing comic bits like boulevard theater upsets me, because I am afraid that dance, music, theater and sacred rituals are being watered down to suit a modern age. I fear that this Calonarang performance may be the last swan song of Balinese culture."

Wilma Margono, a Javanese who has resided in France for 19 years and is married to a French academic, recalled her experience of watching a Noh drama in Japan: "Although often static, Ibu Cenik's dancing was still powerful and similar to that of Noh theater. I was disappointed by the starkly minimalist decor -- the stage was totally abstract. Sorely missing was an evocation of the usually exuberant background of a Balinese temple set amid luxuriant vegetation."

Another Indonesian, Desita Atma, who teaches Balinese dance at the Centre de Danse du Marais in Paris, was moved by the live performance of a complete troupe: "Despite the fact that (we were) watching Balinese dance far from where it is usually danced, as part of the fabric of daily life, I was moved by the energy and skills displayed by many members of the multi- generational family of Made Djimat. They carry on a living tradition."