Ramayana ballet show goes on before tiny audiences

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.