'Bedhaya' dance, a Mangkunegaran masterpiece

Kartika Bagus C., Contributor, Surakarta, Central Java

Seven beautiful girls dance in the royal hall. Their movements are disjointed, though their loveliness remains. For a while, they move smoothly and supplely only to be followed by the firm and strong movements of some soldiers. Their hands grab bows and arrows ready to shoot.

The seven dancers are performing Bedhaya Anglir Mendung, a Javanese ritual dance, portraying Prince Mangkunegara I's struggle against Dutch colonizers. It is also a commemoration to mark the battles conducted by the prince, whose real name was Raden Mas Said, though he was dubbed Prince Sambernyawa.

The dance is inseparable from the royal tradition of Tingalan Wiyosan Jumenengan Dalem (commemorating the enthronement) of Islamic Mataram kings in Java.

Bedhaya comes as the climax of a series of performances to celebrate this event.

Herwasta Kusuma, cultural promotion official of Mangkunegaran Palace, Bedhaya was created by Mangkunegara I in 1790. The dance reflects the armed conflict between the prince's followers and the Dutch troops.

During the war, women were recruited to help defend the Mataram kingdom. In Mangkunegaran Palace itself, women soldiers, dubbed the esteri soldiers, were taken on to strengthen security.

The name Anglir mendhung means clouds moving gently. It symbolizes the skills of the female soldiers who were able to move lightly, silently and swiftly. Though gentle, they were also able to demonstrate unbelievable feats. The gracious motion and peaceful chants in the dance carry the message of war.

The symbols of war are noticeable in the dancers' choreography. They present several war maneuvers: cakra byuha (discus tactics), supit urang (lobster-claw tactics) and garuda nglayang (flying eagle tactics).

In addition to reflecting the battle against the Dutch, the dance also represents a religious ritual commemorating the time when Islam was admitted to Java and acculturated with local indigenous cultural traditions. As a whole, the dance symbolizes both Javanese and Islamic cultural elements.

The seven dancers and their series of movements symbolize sufism. They signify the seven levels of dzikir (brief Islamic prayers), which involve speech, sight, hearing, action, desire, knowledge and living, all for the sake of Allah.

The girls also portray seven fine points of lathaif (vibration) in the human body; qalb (heart), ruh (spirit), sir (secret), kahfi aqfa (the whole), nafs (passion), natikhah (life) and kul jasad (body). All this, in addition to their costumes, which depict the essence of Islam through motifs of Arabic calligraphy.

Herwasta said the ritual dance had once been presented by Mangkunegara I to the Surakarta King, Paku Buwana IV, as a token of their close relations. The prince and the king, during the Dutch colonial period, had been locked into a family feud as a result of the colonial divide-and-rule policy.

Bedhaya Anglir Mendung, therefore, are examples of Mangkunegaran Palace's cultural attractions, which are today lovingly preserved and sanctified.

"Otherwise, our next generation will lose their cultural identity and be deprived of all those symbols that were so important during the era of the Javanese kingdoms, whose grandeur is still renowned the world over," Herwasta said.