Curtain to fall on Banyuwangi's 'janger' acts

Curtain to fall on Banyuwangi's 'janger' acts

By Slamet Hadi Purnomo

BANYUWANGI, East Java (Antara): The flow of typical Banyuwangi gamelan, distinguished by its shades of the Balinese take on the music, went into a decrescendo, in tempo with the unfolding of the Damarwulan-Minakjinggo drama on stage.

Men and women, young and old, appeared glued to their seats as they watched the performance of the janger, a typical art form of Banyuwangi, East Java.

The entertainment is not only on the stage. Young people from around Banyuwangi make good use of the evening to scout for prospective partners.

Vendors set up makeshift stalls near the stage to offer snacks and beverages.

Unfortunately, these inviting evenings will apparently enter into notes from history soon. Janger performances, which enjoyed their heyday two decades ago, may soon die out due to declining audiences and fund constraints.

In former times, the theater art thrived thanks to adequate box office income from the frequent performances, which meant that costs for staging could be easily covered.

Stage managers blame the popularity and widespread accessibility of other entertainment, including TV offering a varied selection of programs, for the decline in the ticket sales.

Khotidjah, chairperson of the Banyuwangi Janger Association, said the absence of artists to continue the tradition was another factor in its demise.

Janger resembles the ludruk, an East Java folk theater in which all parts are played by men. It presents traditional drama using backgrounds of classical historical tales, such as the Damarwulan-Minakjinggo legend.

Janger shows are held at night, usually in connection with a celebration, such as a circumcision ceremony or a wedding reception.

A troupe may have as many as 50 performers depending on the story presented. They wear traditional costumes.

The art form was popular in the 1970s through to the 1980s, especially in the eastern part of East Java, and mainly with the Osing community in the Banyuwangi area.

In 1970 in Banyuwangi, the most eastern town of East Java, there were some 40 janger theater groups. Today, only five survive -- Tumenggung Budoyo, Glondong Rogojampi, Ganjie Rogojampi, Trisno Sundoro and Lemahbangdowo Rogojampi.

It all comes down to the bottom line.

"How can we survive if each performance only receives Rp 600,000? (US$60). A group has a minimum of 45 players. That does not include the gamelan players and the guest star," said Khotidjah, leader of Temenggung Budoyo.

The problems were not only due to the lack of regeneration and falling ticket sales, she said, as group owners used unhealthy competition to attract audiences and vied among themselves for prized performers.

The ugly result is that many troupe owners are unable to survive in cut-throat times and are left with no option but to close down.

Artists, finding it impossible to survive on the low wages and unsure of their futures, often decide to leave the stage for good.

"Requests for performances now come once every three months at best," said Khotidjah.

Monetary crisis

In the current monetary crisis, janger troupes have to bear the additional burden of skyrocketing prices for stage equipment.

A set of gamelan instruments that cost Rp 4.5 million in 1984 is now priced at Rp 22 million. A pair of costumes costing Rp 25,000 now sell for at least Rp 100,000.

Inevitably, as prices of basic commodities rise, artists also want a better income.

"But we cannot increase the charge for performances for fear of losing engagements," Khotidjah said.

She deplored the fact that janger, a rich art treasure of Banyuwangi, does not receive adequate attention from the regional administration.

"The lack of attention for the janger art has been going on for a decade. It is not only a matter of funds. Even costumes and gamelan sets have not been allocated," she said.

Public relations chief of the Bandung administration, Soemartono, argued that fostering the janger art was continuously done through presenting art and cultural programs.

"At certain times, we organize competitions and as a routine we present various art and cultural programs at Kemiren Tourist Village. So, we preserve all the wealth of art and culture."