Dance takes power struggle onto stage
Text and photo by Tarko Sudiarno
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Two knights are fighting to the last drop of blood, each summoning all of their might to attack the other. They continue wresting, ignoring time, place and the thousands of soldiers who have died on both sides. All they care about is winning.
The two powerful knights were none other than Adipati Karna, the commanding general of Kurawa kingdom, and Arjuna of Pandawa.
The knights' mother, Dewi Kunthi, could only watch from a distance with tears in her eyes, waiting to know the fate of her two sons, who were defending their countries on the Kurusetra battlefield.
Inside, her heart was torn into pieces, witnessing her two sons trying to kill each other and realizing that she, or even the gods, could do nothing to stop the battle.
Realizing that victory or defeat by either of her sons would be equally tragic, she quietly prayed Kidhung Kesedihan dan Kepasrahan (Songs of Sadness and Submission).
The cruelty of life, dedication to one's country and Kunthi's sadness, as portrayed in Karna Tanding (Karna's Duel), an episode of epic Baratayudha war, were brought to stage through a contemporary dance performance by Jarot, a choreographer of Surakarta's Studio Taksu on Sunday night at Kua Etnika studio in Bantul, Yogyakarta.
The horrifying battle between the two brothers was titled Karna Tanding episode Sendok Porok (Spoon and Fork episode in Karna's Duel).
For the choreographer, the duel, which reflects the knights' dedication to defending his country, parallels the current situation in Indonesia. Through the show, Jarot, who has often assisted famous dance artist Sardono W. Kusumo, highlighted the present behavior of Indonesia's political elite in vying for power.
"I am a simple person. Conflict within our society, both in the upper and lower classes, looks very much like the Baratayudha war. Although from the surface it looks like they uphold sound principles, in the end, all they are fighting about is a bigger share of prosperity," Jarot said after the show at the studio, which belongs to musician Djaduk Ferianto.
In his dance piece, Jarot recreated the battle between Pandawa and Kurawa's commanding generals by not only bestowing them with the use of supernatural powers as their weapons, but also with Sendok Porok (Spoon and Fork). The eating utensils were used to symbolize the battle to snatch the largest share of prosperity.
In the fight using the Sendok Porok weapons, Arjuna and Karna viciously attack each other, shameless in their desire to grab more power.
Through Karna Tanding episode Sendok Porok, the artist perfectly illustrates contemporary issues. It is not only the country's elite and political leaders who are shamelessly fighting among themselves for a larger share of power and prosperity, but also the rest of society.