Classical Javanese court music and dances on show in Jakarta
Classical Javanese court music and dances on show in Jakarta
By Hartoyo Pratiknyo
JAKARTA (JP): Coming on the heels of the triumphant
presentation of the Senapati Kelaswara-Adaninggar dance drama --
performed in the golek menak (wooden puppet) style of Yogyakarta
at the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center (TIM) last month -- is
another treat for aficionados of classical Javanese court music
and dance in Jakarta.
Fans will have the rare opportunity this weekend to see
several authentic court dances, including the bedaya, performed
by dancers and musicians from Yogyakarta's royal court, or
kraton.
Apart from the dances, the performances -- scheduled to take
place on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 beginning at 8 p.m. at Graha Bhakti
Budaya -- will also offer gamelan music performed on two sets of
ancient instruments, known as Kyai (the venerated) Madumurti and
Kyai Madukusumo.
The program for Saturday evening includes the Bedaya Sang
Amurwabumi dance and the martial dance Beksan Lawung Ageng, to be
followed by gamelan concerts.
Scheduled to be performed on Sunday are the Srimpi Pandelori
and the Beksan Guntur Segara dances, which also will be followed
by gamelan concerts.
The performances on both nights will involve no less than 115
people, including two princesses of the royal court of Yogyakarta
-- G.R.Aj. Nurmalita Sari and G.R.Ay. Nurmagupita.
In former days, the bedaya, which is usually performed by nine
female dancers -- but occasionally, in less sacred performances,
by seven -- was considered to be among the most august trappings
of Javanese royalty. Of these dances, the oldest and most sacred
is the Bedaya Ketawang, which is still performed on special
occasions in the kraton (royal court) of Surakarta, and nowhere
else.
Such was the veneration accorded to this dance form that even
lesser courts -- such as those of the principalities of
Pakualaman in Yogyakarta and Mangkunegaran in Surakarta -- were
not allowed to perform them.
Although all nine dancers in the bedaya wear uniform costumes,
each one plays a different role, according to the story that is
being told. Tradition has it that this dance was commissioned in
the early 17th century by Sultan Agung, the third and greatest
king of Mataram, who ruled the kingdom jointly with his consort,
Kangjeng Ratu Kencanasari, also known as Nyai Roro Kidul, the
beautiful and redoubtable goddess of the South Sea (Indian
Ocean).
The Bedaya Sang Amurwabumi, which will be presented on
Saturday evening, was commissioned by the present sultan of
Yogyakarta, Hamengku Buwono X, who dedicated it to his deceased
father, the widely esteemed Hamengku Buwono IX, on the occasion
of the latter's being posthumously declared a national hero of
Indonesia. Fittingly, the dance takes its basic storyline from
the Pararaton, the ancient "book of kings" of the Tumapel and
Majapahit kingdoms of old. In essence, it contains teachings
about the basic qualities a good ruler should possess.
Although it has currently become the vogue to present bedaya
for tourists in an abbreviated form, traditionally a bedaya
performance can last for an hour or more.
The martial dance Beksan Lawung Ageng was commissioned by the
founder of the sultanate of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengku
Buwono I. The earliest Beksan Lawung Ageng dance represented
soldiers exercising the martial arts and was performed by 40 male
dancers.
For Saturday's event, the Beksan Lawung Gagak will be
presented by 16 male dancers performing in a variety of costumes
and dance styles. A few diatonic musical instruments, such as
trumpets and drums, were added to the traditional gamelan
orchestra during the rule of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono VIII.
Sunday dance
The srimpi, which is usually performed by four female dancers
-- the only exception being Srimpi Renggowati, which is performed
by five -- takes its storyline either from ancient epics such as
the Mahabharata or from more recent mythology.
The Srimpi Pandelori which will be performed on Sunday takes
its story from the Menak, in particular the episode which sees
Dewi Kadarwati, a princess of the mythological kingdom of
Koparman, battling Dewi Ngummyungmadikin of the kingdom of
Ngambarkustup. The dance takes its name from the gamelan music
that accompanies it, the Gendhing Pandelori.
The battle themes presented in all srimpi dances symbolize the
never-ending battle between good and evil.
The Beksan Guntur Segara dance takes its story from an episode
in a cycle of folktales about the Jenggala and Kediri kingdoms of
East Java. In particular, this male dance depicts the battle
between Raden Jayasena and Raden Guntur Segara to win recognition
as the son of the king of Jenggala. The battle, however, ends
undecided.
The episode is performed by four male dancers, two
representing Jayasena and two Raden Guntur Segara, all wearing
identical costumes and performing the same dance movements.
The performance on Saturday will be preceded by an
introduction from Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, and on Sunday
Minister of Culture and Tourism I Gede Ardika will introduce the
performance.