Remembering glorious 'Dongeng Dari Dirah'
By Gotot Prakosa
JAKARTA (JP): Exactly 26 years ago choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo's dance drama Dongeng Dari Dirah (A Tale from Dirah) was performed for the first time. The debut was so successful that it was later performed in many places in Europe.
This year, between Nov. 16 and Nov. 26, those who took part in this successful performance gather at Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center in Central Jakarta for a series of activities, ranging from a fine art exhibition, dance and musical performances as well as film screening.
Some dancers from the debut performance of Dongeng Dari Dirah, such as Nyoman Pugra, I Pasek Tempo, I Made Grindem and Ida Ayu who were dance gurus from Bali, have died.
Children who took part in the premiere of this drama 26 years ago are now adults. Two of them, Ketut Rina and Badung, are famous dancers who often perform abroad. Two others have made a name for themselves on a domestic or international level: Netra, who is a member of the Peter Brook theatrical group in Europe, and Soegeng, who is also a painter. Others, such as I Wayan Sadra, Al Suwardi, Pande Made Sukerta, Sentot Sudiarto, Danarto and Hajar Satoto are quite prominent in music, dancing and fine arts circles.
The reunion of the first cast of Dongeng Dari Dirah will also be highlighted by the screening of a film adaption of the drama by Robert Chappel.
In Chappel's hands, the original performance of over two hours has been put on celluloid and has a duration of 45 minutes. The film, set in Bali and in areas around Sukuh Temple and Ceto Temple in Central Java, is as suggestive as the live dance performance itself.
The film begins with Dirah villagers working in the rice fields. Then a dance instructor says: "Two forces, good and evil, will always coexist. Sometimes they collaborate and at other times they fight each other. Eternity, however, supersedes good and evil just like the eternal water that comes into being when these two forces are in balance." This prologue marks the beginning of the Cak dance with its mantras and seemingly magical chants.
When night comes, the evil Dirah widow appears accompanied by devils who killed village guards attempting to drive them away. The whole village becomes quiet as everybody, young and old, rushes home. And then the Dirah widow threatens to destroy the whole village.
When a new day arrives, the evil power is gone. Those left behind are the devil dancers and the witch dancer, groaning and crying in spasms. Some are fast asleep. However, the whole village is still quiet. Doors and windows are shut fast.
Meanwhile, in the house of the Dirah widow, her daughter is restless. Despite her extraordinary beauty, she cannot get a boyfriend. No young man dares to befriend her because her mother is a witch. When the girl cries and tells her mother she can no longer stand being lonely, the Dirah widow promises to bring her a young man.
She brings a dead young man back to life and asks him to dance to her house. The live corpse dances and starts to seduce the girl, but when the corpse is at the point of consummating his desire, the girl becomes disgusted and runs away from the village.
The girl meets the dance instructor and asks him why she has to make love with a live corpse. He tells her that in real life too many husbands and wives make love mechanically, as though they were the living dead. Then the dance instructor asks the girl to dance and bite him on the chest and shoulders. The two are soon engaged in lovemaking.
When the evening comes, the Dirah widow sees them and becomes angry. In her rage she gives birth to a baby, which she eats. Then she turns into Rangda, a giant monster, with one intention: to kill all the villagers.