JP/9/SASKIA

JP/9/SASKIA

Sunaryo Sakia struggles to preserve Surabaya-style 'ludruk'

Indra Harsaputra The Jakarta Post/Surabaya

Sunaryo Sakia, 49, the leader of Irama Budaya Surabaya -- a ludruk art group, an indigenous East Java folk drama featuring an all-male cast -- was hanging his head as the day-long heavy rain poured down in Surabaya, as it meant that many of his fans would be unable to come to the troupe's performance that night.

"Many of my fans will certainly be unable to make it. Nevertheless, the show must go on regardless of the size of the audience," he told The Jakarta Post.

In 1970s, when ludruk was a cultural icon with which Surabaya was usually associated, Irama Budaya, set up in 1987, was not yet a famous group. It was just a small ludruk troupe with only 15 members recruited from the activists of the Ploso Tambak Sari neighborhood youth association in Surabaya.

Many big ludruk troupes, such as Adipura, Rukun Budaya and Arbaya, frequently performed at Surabaya People's Entertainment Park. Members of these big groups were usually well paid. Unfortunately, many of them have disbanded now because of diminishing public interest in this dramatic folk art.

Today, however, Irama Budaya is becoming a force to be reckoned with as it is the only ludruk group that has survived in Surabaya.

Sakia also deserves to be praised for his struggle to ensure the survival of ludruk in Surabaya, although, unfortunately, he has yet to be properly recognized for his efforts in preserving this traditional art genre.

It's a difficult job for Sakia to ensure that ludruk stays alive. There have been times when he has even contemplated disbanding his group.

"I don't get any profit from this job. The proceeds from ticket sales are just enough to pay the players. I have even sold my beauty parlor so that I can finance the activities of this group," he said.

He also sets aside some of the money he earns as a traditional healer to ensure the survival of his group.

Another problem he has to deal with comes from the disapproval shown by the residents living in the neighborhood where the group often performs.

"I was once asked by the residents of an elite housing estate in Surabaya to leave our performance place because they were disturbed by the Javanese music played to accompany our performances," he said.

His group usually holds performances in the open during the dry season. In the wet season, they perform inside.

When they perform in the open, they put up a stage and small wooden huts for the players to sleep in. The stage and the huts will stay there for four to five months. Sakia prefers to perform at one place because if the group performs at different places he has to spend a lot of money on transportation.

The open space where Irama Budaya often holds its performances is Moroseneng, a red-light area in Surabaya. This place was chosen because commercial sex workers are very fond of ludruk. Besides, the people of Moroseneng, usually from lower economic classes, seem to like ludruk more than people of the upper classes.

After talking with The Jakarta Post for a while, Sakia took the vegetables that he had just bought at Wonokromo Market, about two kilometers away from where the group would perform, into the dressing room, which was also used as a kitchen.

Indeed, Sakia is responsible for the daily lives of the group's 62 members, who all live in the group's center at Pulo Wonokromo, Surabaya. Besides buying foodstuffs from the market, he also makes sure that the proceeds from ticket sales are properly distributed to the group's members.

Sometimes Sakia's group is invited to perform at parties held by local officials. For such performances, the group gets paid about Rp 3 million (US$315).

Generally, the group earns between Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000 from ticket sales.

On average, a player taking part in a performance will be paid Rp 5,000 to Rp 10,000 per day plus a daily meal allowance. Part of the income the group gets from a special invitations is given to players as a bonus, while the remaining money is spent on equipment like costumes and musical instruments.

"If we don't have any special invitations, I can afford only vegetables," he said.

Although ludruk players earn very little -- their income is even lower than the 2005 minimum regional wage of Rp 575,000 a month -- the group's members stay on.

To help group members earn more money, Sakia allows them to engage in their own side business, for example, by taking up sewing, knitting or doing bridal make-up. Fifteen of the group's 62 members have their own sideline business.

"I always encourage my group's members to continue to preserve ludruk. The very small income is indeed a problem, but it will be a much bigger problem if ludruk, which is an indigenous art of Surabaya, becomes extinct," he noted.