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.