Sacred dance accentuates Surakarta's special event

Sacred dance accentuates Surakarta's special event

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta, Central Java

The smoke, as well as the scent, of burning incense wafted
across the hall at Surakarta Palace as nine female dancers
entered to perform the Javanese ritual danceBedhaya Ketawang.

The atmosphere suddenly became very quiet and mystical, making
the sound of the two-stringed music instrument Rebab very clear.

The dance was specially performed on Oct. 20 to commemorate
the 55th anniversary of the inauguration of Susuhunan Paku Buwono
XII as King of Surakarta. The dance is sacred and lasts 90
minutes. It is only performed for such an occasion or during a
king's inauguration ceremony.

As it is very sacred, the dance was performed under strict
regulations based on the palace's tradition. During the
performance, which started at noon, the audience were forbidden
to smoke, eat, talk or leave their seats except for very urgent
reasons.

Those who were not accustomed to such a dance might think it
was too slow and delicate to enjoy. But for dance lovers, it is a
medium that requires concentration and meditation.

The monotonous sound of the gamelan orchestra and the gentle
movement of the dancers brought a feeling of solemnity to
viewers.

An article published in last year's edition of Surakarta
Palace's cultural magazine said there are presently two kinds of
Bedhaya Ketawang dance. The first was the ancient version created
by Bathara (god) Wisnu in Kahyangan (heaven), believed to have
come into existence during the era of the Kediri and Majapahit
kingdoms.

The second was created by the queen of the southern sea,
Kanjeng Ratu Kidul -- who was believed to have taught the dance
to Panembahan Senapati, who later on became King of Mataram, when
she was in love with him.

Another book mentioned that the dance was about the love
between Ratu Kidul and Panembahan Senopati. It came as no
surprise then that both the movements of the dancers and the
accompanying lyrics were sensual. In fact, the dance portrayed
both lovers in a love-making scene.

When Mataram Kingdom was finally divided into Surakarta and
Yogyakarta in 1755, the dance was still performed for special
occasions. But only Surakarta Kingdom has continued with the
tradition to this day.

The Kingdom of Yogyakarta, when Sultan Hamengkubuwono II was
in power, replaced Bedhaya Ketawang with Bedhaya Semang. Since
then, only Bedhaya Semang has been performed at Yogyakarta Palace
and has been treated as a sacred dance.

For Bedhaya Ketawang, the female dancers were carefully
selected from the best at Surakarta Palace. Although the dance
only needed nine performers, there were usually 40 or more
substitutes.

The dancers had to also follow particular rules. The female
dancers, for example, were not allowed to perform during
menstruation. Specific offerings had to also be made when the
dance was rehearsed on a particular day, which was considered
sacred according to the Javanese calendar.

The dance also served as a medium for the king to say his
prayers and meditate. It was through the dance that he would
hopefully experience the peak of religious satisfaction

Although Bedhaya Ketawang was the official dance of the
palace, the performance of the dance was only accompanied by a
gamelan set consisting of just five instruments with a seven-tone
scale, known locally as Pelog. It is probably because of the
limited gamelan instruments used that the dance, as well as the
music, are considered boring by some people.

The instruments included Kendhang (a small wooden drum covered
with leather at each end), Gong, Kethuk, Kenong (small gong), and
Kemanak (percussion).Rebab was only used to accompany the nine
dancers as they entered the stage.