Banyumas dancers face misperception
By Wartono Permadhi
BANYUMAS, Central Java (JP): Lengger, a folk dance unique to Banyumas, is now gaining in popularity if the large number of dance troupes registered at the local office of the ministry of education and culture is anything to go by.
Lengger, or Ronggeng Banyumasan, is similar to dances found in other areas with different names. The dance apparently has its roots in the gambyong dance, a folk dance with set movements. However, it has been adapted locally and now differs from the original gambyong dance, largely through the rhythm of the gamelan music which traditionally accompanies it.
The term lengger or tayub, which has similar meaning, was first referred to in a 12th-century book entitled Kakawin Baratayudha, suggesting that even by this early date folk art was already geared towards entertainment.
Soedarsono, an expert on culture from Gadjah Mada University, has said that lengger was initially intended as a ritualistic dance.
It used to be performed in rice fields as the planting season approached. The symbolic representation of sexual intercourse contained in the dance is a request to God to bless the season's paddy with fertility.
In Banyumas, lengger is also often performed at weddings, where it is intended to bring fertility to the bride and groom. The female dancer, also called a lengger, invites the bridegroom to dance with her.
Some locals are unhappy with this racy behavior and charge that the ancient rite teaches young men and boys about sex. The angry locals refer to the belief of some dancers that they will remain young if they have sex with young males. The people of Banyumas call this traditional sex education gowokan.
According to Soedarsono, lengger has been directly and indirectly influenced by the passage of time to a point where its ritualistic and aesthetic values have now diminished.
As a result, those performing lengger are usually considered to be people of loose morals who readily indulge in sex.
However, according to Setijanto, chairman of Banyumas Arts Agency (BKB) and an enthusiast of traditional arts in Banyumas, this unfavorable image of lengger dancers has arisen because many do not understand the meanings behind the dance.
He said most modern lengger dancers are educated and even university students do not find it embarrassing to perform.
Astuti, 30, a lengger dancer who recently returned from a European tour, said men often asked to have sex with her.
She said that she always refused then tried to explain to them what her profession was. To ensure that nobody flirted too much with her, her husband was present at every performance.
"That is the risk of being a lengger dancer. I always consider my family to be more important than anything else. I don't want to see the family break simply because I am lengger dancer," she stressed.
The crisis has hit hard, she said, with fewer people hiring her and her troupe. Performances are down to one a month, whereas before her troupe performed almost every day, she said.