Ramayana ballet show goes on before tiny audiences

Text and photos by Lucia Idayanie

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Despite the fire burning in his body, he does not step back. Hanoman, the sacred white monkey, is undaunted as he courageously fights his enemy.

Thus ends the second act of the Ramayana Ballet, which is regularly staged at the open theater of the Prambanan Temple, Yogyakarta.

The Ramayana ballet is presented alternately in the Yogyakarta and Surakarta dance styles by the five dance troupes of Cahyo Gumelar, Wisan Murti, Sekarpuri, Goa Wijaya and the Rorojonggrang Foundation led by Yogyakarta Governor Sri Paku Alam VIII.

The two-hour ballet comprises four episodes and is a colossal work. The first act relates the disappearance of Shinta, the wife of Rama, who is kidnapped by the giant Rahwana. Rama's bird, Jatayu, tries to foil the kidnapping but is killed by Rahwana. In the second episode, Rama sends Hanoman to find Shinta.

The third narrates the death of Kumbakarna, Rahwana's younger brother who is at Shinta's side. In the last episode Shinta burns herself in the sacred fire to prove that she is pure. She feels compelled to do so after Rama suspects she has given herself to Rahwana.

The lively presentation of the Ramayana ballet is further enhanced by a computerized lighting arrangement against the backdrop of the grandiose Prambanan Temple.

Unfortunately, very few of the 1,000 seats are filled during most performances. "Last May only 20 to 30 percent of the seats were occupied, mainly by foreign tourists," said Billy, marketing staff of PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur-Prambanan-Ratu Boko. Ticket prices seem to have been attuned to foreign visitors, ranging Rp 35,000, Rp 25,000 and Rp 20,000, to Rp 15,000, Rp 10,000 and Rp 7,500. These are rather costly for domestic tourists. Students pay a special price of Rp 4,000 each if they come in a group of at least 30 members.

Performances in the open arena were formerly scheduled only for dates of the full moon. The Rorojonggrang Foundation, which is in charge of the Ramayana ballet, has now introduced daily shows for the tourist season from May to October. The open arena offers the complete ballet, while the closed arena presents different acts only. Each of the four episodes are shown on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Full presentations take place on other days, said Billy.

The small number of visitors is a cause of worry and last year the situation was even worse. "Revenues were barely enough to cover production costs," Billy said. "We often had to provide additional money. With the new schedule of more frequent shows we hope to increase the number of visitors. Another main objective is to extend the stay of foreign tourists."

The Rorojonggrang Foundation has tried to promote the ballet by providing roundtrip transportation for just Rp 2,500 from Yogyakarta to Prambanan, a distance of 15 kms each way. "It is our endeavor to give some facility to visitors needing transport, especially foreign tourists who do not travel in group," said Billy.

The organizers once kept ticket boxes in several hotels in Yogyakarta, but the system did not work. Now, tickets are only sold by travel agencies and at the ticket windows just before the show.

Billy says one reason for the lack of spectators is that nearly all hotels organize Ramayana dances, albeit in short duration, during dinner hours.

Hobby

The dancers of the five dance groups are only pursuing their hobby so the poor ticket receipts do not affect them financially.

This was confirmed by Suyadi, 61, leader of the Sekarpuri dance group and also chief of government affairs at Taman Martani village, Kalasan, Yogyakarta. It is of interest to know that this group also gets earnings from extra performances outside their routine stage work. Their fee for a performance on the open stage is Rp 7.5 million. A performance in the closed theater costs Rp 2.5 million.

The dancers are aged between 25 and 50 years. They all have main jobs, some as dance instructors, elementary school teachers, students, civil servants, lecturers and housewives. Many of their children fill the roles of small monkeys and Shinta courtiers.

Tukiman, 43, who has one of the leading roles in Ramayana, has four children who participate in the ballet. This elementary school teacher of Manisrenggo, Klaten, Central Java, joined the Ramayana ballet troupe in 1962. He started filling the role of a monkey, later he became a giant and now dances the role of Jatayu, the bird who is killed by Rahwana after trying to free Shinta.

Tukiman's son, Benjamin, 10, has followed in his father's footsteps and plays the role of a small monkey. "I dance not in search of money," Tukiman said.

Tukiman sees his fee as extra income. His children save the money to meet expenses for school. "They never ask for money from me anymore," said Tukiman, who added that he has danced with 10 groups.

Timbul Haryono, who holds a Ph.D. in archeology and is a lecturer at Gadjah Mada University, is also active in the Ramayana ballet. "Once I was also a dancer, but now in the Sekarpuri group I am an emcee and a gamelan player," said Timbul who teaches at the School of Letters and Culture at the university. He joined the Ramayana ballet in 1981. His dance legacy looks to continue as his two children are now members of the group.