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.