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.