Classical Javanese dance worth seeing

JAKARTA (JP): Famous choreographer Retno Maruti is back performing the classic Javanese dance Sekar Pembayun at the Grand Ballroom, The Dharmawangsa, South Jakarta, on Sept. 9, the organizing committee said on Friday.

The show will be sponsored by Bimasena, the Indonesian Mines and Energy Society, which helps promote Indonesian cultural heritage through the involvement of mining and energy entrepreneurs.

Performed by Maruti's Padnecwara dance company, Sekar Pembayun won huge accolades for its performances at the Jakarta Institute of Art in February and in Yogyakarta in April.

The Sekar Pembayun, a 75-minute dance, is a romantic tragedy about the protagonist, Sekar Pembayun, who was the daughter of King Panembahan Senapati, the founder of the ancient Mataram Kingdom. The king sent his daughter on an undercover mission with the intention of having his political archrival, the invincible Ki Ageng Mangir, killed.

Unaware of Senapati's plan, Ki Ageng Mangir fell in love with Pembayun and married her. Pembayun managed to arrange an audience with Senapati for Mangir, who ended up being killed by her father.

Maruti, 51, is an accomplished classical Javanese dancer who aims to promote the Javanese performing arts among the international community. (pan)