Javanese dance puts women's roles in context

Javanese dance puts women's roles in context

By Helly Minarti

JAKARTA (JP): After a hiatus from performances in the last two
years, Deddy Dance Company returns with two genres of Javanese
dance brought into a sharp modern focus.

The pieces -- to be performed tomorrow and Sunday at Gedung
Kesenian Jakarta -- explore different periods and societies, one
basic, one refined, but they converge in the subject matter of
women dealing with the sometimes vicious realities of their
lives.

Gandrung Blambangan, choreographed by the company's leader
Deddy Luthan, represents the culture of beach dwellers and the
female dancers who occupy a paradoxical position within the
community.

Kunti Pinilih (The Chosen Kunti), choreographed by Luthan's
wife, Elly D. Luthan, follows from the gleaming noble art of the
bedaya classical dance tradition of the Surakarta royal palace,
the cultural seat of the former Javanese kingdom.

The first dance, inspired by traditions of the Osing tribe who
reside in the easternmost part of Java near the city of
Banyuwangi, pays homage to the Gandrung, the dancers who
performed at wedding receptions and circumcision celebrations.

Gandrung Blambangan, which lasts just over an hour, is
superficially the tale of a charming woman, but it positions her
as a central personality within the complex social tableau.

In Banyuwangi, the Gandrung dancer, who is usually invited to
perform in a wedding party, or circumcision feast, has the right
to decide all aspects of the performance -- musicians,
accompaniment, etc. -- acting much as a contemporary agent not
only for herself, but also for her group.

But there are many hardships in their lives, including
exploitation by men.

"I talked to many Gandrung dancers and their lives are not as
glittering as their onstage careers would indicate," said Deddy
Luthan.

"Like many women, they want a normal happy family life. But,
ironically, most of them are deceived by men who chase after
their money -- they earn a fair wage -- and leave them after
their mission is accomplished," he added.

Luthan, 46, also consulted people versed in the artistic
aspects of the Gandrung tradition for his choreography.

"But basically my choreography is lyrical. My work is based on
lyrical tembang storytelling, containing the poetic story of
Gandrung's sad life," said the creator of 60 choreographies.

Djaduk Ferianto composed the music, conforming to the current
trend of polishing traditional tunes with modern arrangement.

Luthan considers the Gandrung tradition to be more than
entertainment -- it is a sociological exploration as dancers find
an uneasy existence within the traditional patriarchal society.

He puts the women within the context of today, and shows the
changing masks that people wear in the grand drama of life
through a variety of expressions, humorous, lyrical, magical,
sad, joyful and cheerful.

'Kunti Pinilih'

Kunti Pinilih portrays Dewi Kunti, one of the most important
female figures in the Javanese wayang puppet tradition.

A woman hardened by life's hard knocks, Kunti must confront
the greatest tragedy of all.

This is related through one of the most famous tales of the
Mahabarata -- the momentous war between the five brothers of
Pandawa, representing good, and the brothers of Kurawa, the face
of evil.

Kunti's two sons end up on opposing sides of the struggle.

Karna, caught in tangled political interests, is a knight of
the Astina kingdom. He has no choice but to fight his own half
brother, Arjuna. Karna dies by Arjuna's hand, leaving Kunti to
the ultimate grief.

Kunti Pinilih is performed by 15 main dancers supported by six
others. Kunti is played by Director General of Culture Eddi
Sediawati, also a lecturer in the Dance School of the Jakarta
Institute of Fine Arts, and Dewi Sulastri, a graduate of the
Institute of Fine Arts in Yogyakarta.

"Sediawati plays the role as the symbolic Kunti while Sulastri
is the physical one," said Deddy Luthan.

"We picked Sediawati because she is a senior dancer and, as
my colleague in the institute, she has followed the idea from the
start."

Unlike the folkloric Gandrung Blambangan, Kunti Pinilih is
based on classical bedaya emphasizing not only technical
movements, but also the exploration of space and sound.

This is backed up by the tembang storytelling with lyrics
composed by Subono, a famous dalang puppetmaster from Surakarta.

Elly, now 45, was introduced to traditional Javanese dance at
the age of six years when she watched a wayang performance in her
hometown of Jember, East Java.

She then developed her craft as a traditional Javanese dancer
and teacher of Javanese classic dance.

She has studied under some of the most famous figures in
Javanese classical dance, including Retno Maruti and the
eloquent, trendsetting choreographer Bagong Kussudiardjo.

Elly has long been obsessed by the intricacies of Javanese
culture, and she pours this into Kunti Pinilih. In the piece's
nearly 50 minutes, she is supported by a troupe of senior
classical dancers from Surakarta.

Despite the contrasts in artistic background, approach and
execution, the two choreographers unite in a single message.

"We put both traditions into a modern context," explained
Deddy Luthan.

Like Gandrung Blambangan, which portrays women conforming to
traditional roles while simultaneously dealing with inescapable
modern challenges, Kunti's terrible dilemma is framed in the
context of how it pertains to her contemporary descendants and
their difficult choices as mothers.

Both pieces get Roedjito's tender touch in the lighting and
stage decoration.

Roedjito is recognized for turning his hand to everything from
traditional to experimental performances.