Hyatt gives gamelan to 'jatilan' group

Hyatt gives gamelan to 'jatilan' group

YOGYAKARTA: In an effort to help preserve traditional art forms, the five-star Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta hotel presented a set of traditional gamelan instruments on Jan. 24 to a Jatilan dance troupe from the hamlet of Tegalwaras.

Jatilan, or kuda lumping, is a traditional dance performance in which the troupe members dance themselves into a trance by using a horse made of plaited bamboo.

The performance is usually accompanied by gamelan music.

Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta general manager Guntur Tampubolon expressed concern that such traditional performances were being set aside for more modern forms of entertainment.

"Traditional performances like the jatilan can be a distinctive feature for Yogyakarta," he said.

Also to help preserve traditional art forms, the hotel hosts jatilan performances every Saturday night as part of its "Night Market" program at its Kemangi Bistro. --JP