Choreographer brings ancient temple art to life

Kartika Bagus C. Contributor Surakarta, Central Java

An almost naked figure, only covered by a small piece of batik cloth, swirls in slow, rhythmical movements before transforming the movements into dynamic ones, in harmony with the image of Prambanan Temple presented on a wide screen.

Two Gunungan -- mountain-shaped leather figures which are usually used to begin or conclude a leather puppet show -- symbolized the existence of two different worlds: the present and the future.

At the end of the show, the screen collapsed and formed a field, as if representing the Kurusetra field in Mahabrata epic story. Only then, the figure washed his face, marking the start of self purification, and emerged behind a mask.

The dance, entitled Mencari Mata Candi (Searching for the Eye of the Temple), was staged by choreographer cum dancer Mugiyono Kasido at the Indonesia Arts Institute in Surakarta, Central Java. The dance was staged for the first time at the institute before as a dress rehearsal before the troupe headed to the Kunsten Festival des Arts at Chapelle des Brigittines in Brussels, Belgium to perform from May 16-19.

The choreography was the outcome of the artist's intensive explorations as well as rehearsals which took two-and-a-half months to complete. The dance was also the result of his observation trips to many temples across Java, including the Prambanan and Borobudur Temples, since 1997.

Inspiration for the dance also came from Mugiyono's early collaborative research with Dr. Alessandra Lopez, senior dance lecturer of the University of Surrey, London, and expert Edi Sedyawati of the University of Indonesia, in reconstructing the dance movements carved in the balustrade at the Loro Jonggrang temple in Prambanan, Central Java.

Mugiyono said his creation mixed dance movements, leather puppet show elements and a projector. The work was then enhanced with a musical composition originating from a number of Javanese gamelan traditional orchestra presented in a contemporary format.

"On the stage, the music becomes an integrated part of the performance itself. As engraved on the Prambanan Temple, the dance moves and music are one," he said.

This choreography, he said, was also a result of his reconstruction of Karana Natyaraja (Natyaraja dance movement) found in the relief panels on the Shiva Temple in Prambanan.

Some movements were also inspired by the relief of animals found at the Sukuh Temple in Karanganyar, Central Java. This relief was then replicated and reconstructed with a new interpretation without abandoning its expressive values that give prominence to the beauty of movement.

The movement in the choreography maintains two dimensions of the relief: simplicity and dynamic characters.

However, Mugiyono admitted that not all the movements were based on the temple art. Most of the movements originated from the temple portrayals were also blended with other types of dance movements that he usually practices.

Born in Klaten, Central Java in 1976, Mugiyono has produced dozens of choreographies. Coming from a puppet master's family, he was drawn to dance since he was a boy, as well as developing his skills after learning from traditional dances of the Mangkunegaran Palace in Surakarta.

In 1993, his work Terjerat (Trapped) was named Best Art Dance, while in the coming years, he took part in noted dancer Sardono W. Kusuma's performances such as Opera Diponegoro (Diponegoro Opera, 1995), Passage Through the Gong (1996), Karmawibangga (1999) and Surat Shinta (Shinta's Letter, 2002).

According to veteran dancer Suprapto Suryodarmo, Mugiyono's choreography reflected the efforts of transferring temple relief, into human movement.

"A temple, by definition, is God's home with values about life since many of the scenes portrayed in temple art is mostly taken from the Ramayana epic story that highlights birth, life and death," Suprapto, a choreographer who teaches the ritual dances of Vipassana and Sumarah that deal with Javanese meditation techniques.