Choreographer's work dances toward perfection

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Choosing the kind of life one wants to live and the inner struggle of the human soul. That is the theme, based on an epic ancient Javanese shadow play with leather puppets, chosen for a dance performance to be staged by Yogyakarta's famed choreographer, Martinus Miroto, at the World Music Theater Festival in the Netherlands for two weeks from the end of March until early April this year.

The performance, titled Dancing Shadows, relates the quest for a perfect existence.

The story starts when the god Manikmaya is forced to make love to his wife, the goddess Uma. Upon her refusal, the enraged Manikmaya turns her into a hideous demon, called Durga.

The sperm of Manikmaya falls into the ocean and is transformed into another horrifying male demon, Kala.

Though both demons are really his wife and son, Manikmaya prohibits them from dwelling in the abode of the gods, Kahyangan Jongring Salaka. Both demons are expelled and forced to become the masters of evil spirits and to inhabit the world of darkness, Kerajaan Setragandalumayit.

Feeling hurt and rejected, Kala rebels against his father. He runs amok at Kahyangan, the home of the gods. Finally the gods relent and allow him to descend to planet Earth to find food. He is given permission to devour humans on condition that only the sinful may be eaten.

Durga has a different attitude. Though turned into a hideous demon, she is submissive and accepts her fate. Through rigorous meditation and intense prayers, finally Durga is enlightened by God Almighty and she finds a clear path. God frees Durga from her husband's spell and she dies in peace.

The story is presented by Miroto as contemporary dance, strongly rooted to traditional arts, such as the Javanese shadow play with leather puppets, classical dance, Ketoprak (Javanese opera) and the wooden puppet play.

This latest creation of Miroto was recently performed in front of a select audience at the auditorium of the training center for arts teachers in Yogyakarta.

The choreographer-cum-dancer has worked hard on the presentation of Dancing Shadows. It has taken him and his entire team a full four months of preparation, which included the basics of Tai Chi exercise so that the performers could concentrate better. "We've been practicing very hard for four months. The routine has been four consecutive days of practice followed by one day of rest. A performance can only succeed based on disciplined practice," Miroto said at his base, Studio Banjarmili in Sleman, Yogyakarta.

True, the hard work of his team proved fruitful. The debut of Dancing Shadows was critically acclaimed by the invited artists. His arduous collaboration with Dedek Wahyudi from the Indonesian Arts Institute (STSI) in Surakarta for the music arrangement, shadow play director Ki Seno Nugroho from Yogyakarta, ketoprak artist Bondan Nusantara for the dialog, as well as with Mugiyono, a dancer from STSI, were entirely enjoyable.

"This is an extraordinary performance. But I wonder whether it can be understood by an audience having no Javanese cultural background," commented Bakdi Sumanto, a cultural observer and a man of letters.

The work of Miroto -- born in Yogyakarta on Feb. 23, 1959, a graduate of the Indonesian Arts Institute, Yogyakarta, in 1986 and holder of a master's degree in fine arts from California University, Los Angeles in 1995 -- is profuse with Javanese nuance, especially in the depiction of ruwatan (a kind of exorcism) rituals, which are familiar probably only to the Surakarta and Yogyakarta audiences.

However, Miroto feels optimistic that though the dialog is in the Javanese language, the structuring of the scenes and the dancers' physical movements will make it easy for a non-Javanese audience to understand the essence of Dancing Shadows.

The show is divided into three parts: the birth, journey of life and finally the death, all of which are combined into an artistic performance composed of classical Javanese, modern and contemporary dance, Mocopat (traditional Javanese verse) as well as dialog in the style of Yogyakarta Palace live wayang.

The opening scene of Dancing Shadows is symbolic of life. A man and a woman dance behind a bamboo curtain, while two dalang (puppeteers) play four gunungan) (mountain-like leather figures symbolizing the universe) in front of a cloth curtain. Dancing in the tari gagahan style, Miroto, acting the part of Sang Hyang Wenang (a god) comes out from behind a bamboo curtain.

As a palace dancer and a seasoned artist, Miroto's appearance in the opening scene immediately lends it a specific nuance of a Javanese traditional show. Every element, from the dance movements, gunungan, to the costumes reflects Javanese culture packaged for a modern theatrical stage performance.

The scenes that follow are a harmonious blend of the dancers, shadow play, modern theater and their own flawless collaboration. Most interesting is the scene where Kala becomes furious and Durga suppresses his anger with a mantra.

The fusion of the dance movements and the shadows of the leather puppets on the long white screen are very enticing, as it easily creates a variety of interpretations in the mind of the audience. The long white screen is the single property item that dominates the performance of Dancing Shadows, especially during the final scene.

Another asset in the show is the presence of Mugiyono, a dancer from the Surakarta Arts Academy (STSI). The dancer, who has frequently performed with Sardono W. Kusumo and toured around the world, has made a meaningful contribution to Miroto's work. This can clearly be seen where Mugiyono, playing Kala, comes face to face with Miroto, playing the part of God. Both perform dance movements that show their world-class caliber.

Just as in the shadow play of leather puppets, Dancing Shadows includes Goro-goro (a scene of turbulence and war) where Punakawan (palace jokers) enact a comedy scene depicting commoners.

Here the unique movements of Miroto looked dominant. The three dancers, cast as comedians, were unrestricted in their hilarious movements, which reminded the audience of a previous work by Miroto, Penumbra.

Music arranger Dedek Wahyudi cleverly complemented each movement. Interestingly, with only three gamelan players, the music produced was pleasing to the ears. Each player took turns at playing different instruments and sometimes the dancers helped them out, very much as in the traditional performance of Ketoprak Sampakan.

The climactic ending of Dancing Shadows was in line with the story depicted: The exorcism of Durga by the gods. Resembling the exorcism scene in a shadow play of leather puppets, Durga, in this scene, was played by Yuli Setyasari, a dancer and a student of Bagong Kussudiardja. As in the rituals of Ruwat Murwakala (exorcism), the puppeteer held a gunungan (symbol of the world) and chanted a magical mantra to purify a person afflicted with a curse.

Durga stands graciously on a box covered by white cloth. A white cloth, representing her resolution and sincerity in facing death for an eternal afterlife, also envelops her completely. The puppeteer, sitting on the floor, moves the gunungan.

The moment the mantra ends, the spell is cast away and Durga dies a serene death, a physical death on her way to a more eternal and perfect existence.