`Bondres' shows help Balinese deal with the pain
`Bondres' shows help Balinese deal with the pain
Kadek Suartaya, Contributor, Denpasar, Bali
A man with a mask covering his face walks onto the stage, his
legs injured. In a husky voice, he tells the packed audience at
the Art Center in downtown Denpasar that Amrozy and his friends
-- prime suspects in the Oct. 12 Bali bombings -- ruined his
life.
"My legs were seriously injured and I was almost crippled,"
says the performer while showing his legs with comical gestures
and movements.
"I warn you people not to hate them (the suspects). Instead we
must increase our spiritual well-being and hope that the Almighty
will protect us and our land from calamity," says the man said
during a performance at a local Bondres competition organized by
the Bali Post.
Bondres refers to a clown who functions as a mediator between
noble characters in court-style art performances. In other words,
Bondres is a court jester.
Originally recognized as a traditional Balinese performing
art, usually performed during religious events or temple
festivals, Bondres is now transforming itself into an independent
art form.
Most of the Balinese performing arts have court or noble
origins, in which all of the performers speak high and intricate
ancient Balinese. Bondres performers would translate the noble
characters' speeches for the lower-class members of the audience,
explaining to them what was happening in simple and language.
For years, Bondres characters enlivened and entertained the
audiences by poking fun at their faults, physical disabilities
and the current situation.
In the course of its development, Bondres has recently been
transformed into a more profane and entertaining art form,
especially for the middle and lower-class groups of society. It
has become a healing instrument for the Balinese people suffering
from a series of tragedies, including the Oct. 12 bombings, the
Iraq war and the recent outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS), which badly affected the Balinese tourist
industry.
A few weeks ago, the Bali Post arranged Bondres competitions
in an effort to encourage more young artists to take up the art
form. It is encouraging to realize that Balinese cultural
activities continue to grow and flourish amid the flood of
Western-influenced entertainments.
The public response has been amazingly encouraging. Dozens of
emerging Bondres groups from Bali's eight regencies took part in
the first Bondres competition.
Each of the groups worked extremely hard to capture the hearts
of the audience and the members of the jury.
Unlike other classical Balinese performing arts, which usually
take their themes and stories, as well as their musical and dance
styles from legends and stories from the Majapahit Hindu court
and Javanese classical dance, Bondres touches upon topical
issues.
Bondres performances also are used to voice political opinions
or to communicate the local government's development messages.
During the competition, many participants touched on topical
themes such as the Bali bombings and the phenomena of dangdut
singer Inul Darastista.
A Bondres female character appeared on stage, dancing in
imitation of Inul, while crying: "My face was crocked because of
the bomb. I am Inul, the victim of the Bali bombing."
As community entertainment, Bondres performances serve as a
tool for the people, especially those in the lower and middle
classes, to express themselves and talk about their lives.
In entertaining the audience, these Bondres comedians cleverly
combine classical dance movements, mask expressions and humorous
flairs. These elements could become standard measurements for
judging which groups are successful in attracting the audience to
their shows.
A Bondres group usually consists of between four and five
characters. Each character represents a certain figure. They all
wear intricate costumes with half or full masks. A competent
Bondres performer must master the stage and the audience, as well
as the stories the group wants to convey to the viewers. Other
important factors are their ability to cut the distance between
the performers and the audience with their communication and
dance skills.
However, during this last competition, not all of the Bondres
groups were able to live up to these measurements. Many of them
failed to arouse the minds of the audience and the jurors alike.
But some groups were worth seeing. Among them were the Sanggar
Gita Bondres group from Batu Bulan, Gianyar regency, Praba Budaya
Lumintang from Denpasar and Gita Ulangun.
Nevertheless, the competition would become a starting point
for local Bondres group to improve their stage skills and, more
importantly, to encourage young performers to preserve one of the
island's rich cultural heritages.
The writer is a lecturer at the Denpasar Arts Institute.