Dance teaches kings how to be good leaders

Dance teaches kings how to be good leaders

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Here is how the age-old Yogyakarta sultans (kings) taught
statecraft to their successors: through a symbolical
representation in a court dance, Bedhaya Sang Amurwabumi

The dance, which used to be performed strictly inside the
court, was created in 1990 and dedicated to the late Sultan
Hamengku Buwono IX.

It was only one of many dances that opened the Yogyakarta art
and culture exhibition at Galangan VOC Building, Sunda Kelapa,
North Jakarta, on Friday. The event also features batik fashion
shows and an exhibition of handicrafts from Yogyakarta.

The Amurwabumi dance contained philosophical symbols of an
ideal leader or king. The Javanese concept of an ideal leader, so
the philosophy goes, should have the right view, right thought,
right speech, right attitude and lead a righteous life.

An ideal leader should also make an effort to do the right
thing, and should be devoted to God.

Mpu Purwa, a Buddhist figure, said there were 10 things that
made an ideal leader: generosity, nobility, calmness and
patience, courage, meditation, alertness, efforts, determination,
power and knowledge.

The dance plot centers on the story of the former king of
Singasari, Amurwabumi (refers to the title used by ancient Hindu
king), or Ken Arok, and his wife Sang Prameswari Dyah
Pradnyaparamita, or Ken Dedes, Mpu Purwa's daughter, as recorded
in the Pararaton chronicle.

Like other sacred dances, the piece was performed by nine
female court dancers who moved slowly with elegant movements in
accompaniment to soft, magical Javanese music. The beautiful song
that accompanied the dancers was titled Gedhing Gati Mardawa.

Clad in a traditional royal outfit, basahan ageng, they
appeared on stage one after another. Their hands were elevated
slightly to both right and left sides, their body straight and
their gaze fixed ahead.

The dancers then sat on the floor with legs crossed and a
narrator told the audience in Javanese the synopsis of the
classical piece. The narrator said that the background story of
the dance was the marriage of Ken Arok, who was a Hindu, and Ken
Dedes, a Buddhist.

Ken Arok had a crush on Ken Dedes after see a glimpse of the
latter's glowing thighs. Ken Arok was certain that this type of
woman had enormous power.

So he determined to own the woman for himself. At this point,
Ken Dedes was married to Tunggul Ametung, the ruler of a minor
kingdom, Tumapel, and was three-months pregnant. Tumapel was a
subsidiary country to Kediri, now located in East Java province.

Ken Arok then ordered a kris from a renowned kris-maker, Mpu
Gandring. But Ken Arok could not wait for a full year until his
order was completed, so he killed the old man and snatched the
kris.

As he was struggling for his last breath, Mpu Gandring cursed
the kris by saying that it would be responsible for the deaths of
seven generations that followed, including Ken Arok.

Ken Arok succeeded in fulfilling his ambition, usurped the
throne of Tumapel, defeated Kediri and built the kingdom of
Singasari in AD 1222. It was a glorious moment for Singasari, as
it managed to expand into half of the areas of today's Indonesia.

According to Pararaton, Ken Arok was killed with the same kris
by his stepson, Anusapati.

It was followed by a series of bloody struggles for power that
took place exactly as the kris-maker's curse had foretold.

The narrator continued that, at that time, there had been
stipulations in accordance with Javanese culture that underlined
that a king should act righteously.

After the narrator finished reading the synopsis, the dancers,
who wore make up like Javanese brides, made respectful greetings
with hands folded, fingertips upward, touching the forehead.

They slowly arose and stood erect. They moved gently, with
complicated steps, while the dazzling sound of the gamelan
(Javanese orchestra) was dominated by the sound of kemanak (a
musical instrument like a horn).

According to Raden Mas Dinoesatomo from the Yogyakarta Palace,
the dance carried a message about the philosophical symbols of
leadership that should be maintained until today.

"In short, the duty of a leader is not just to maintain the
hereditary line, but what is important is that he should be able
to record achievements."

A leader should also have noble qualities and wisdom, exactly
in line with the teachings of royal ancestors, he added.

The dance was an avant-garde piece that was often performed at
the Yogyakarta and Surakarta palaces in Central Java, he said.

Besides Sang Amurwabumi, there are a number of sacred
classical dances, such as Bedhaya Ketawang from Surakarta Palace
and Bedhaya Semang from Yogyakarta Palace.

But both palaces hardly ever stage either of the two dances
because of the complicated rituals that should be performed
beforehand. Besides, it takes about three-and-a-half hours to
perform the dance.

Even though Sang Amurwabumi was not performed in the palace as
usual, the dancers presented it using their usual, graceful
movements to send a philosophical message for a leader,
particularly to the current leader of this country.

Maybe, the creator of the dance, Sultan Hamengku Buwono X,
wanted to repeat what he has recently stated many times: The
President, as leader of the country, should make an effort to
improve the welfare of the people, and act as Sang Amurwabumi.