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."