'Bedhaya' dance, a Mangkunegaran masterpiece

'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.