'Srimpi Sukarsih': A symbol of a prince's love
Kartika Bagus C., The Jakarta Post, Solo, Central Java
In the dimly lit audience hall of the court of Surakarta Hadiningrat, four pretty virgins are dancing gracefully to the tune of gamelan, the Javanese musical orchestra, in a romantic atmosphere.
Their delicate movements and feminine charm suggested the manner of teenage girls being in love and putting on make-up. It was the rarely performed Beksan Srimpi Sukarsih, presented before a number of Japanese tourists at a royal dinner some time ago.
Choreographed by Surakarta King Pakoe Boewono VIII (1858-1861) in 1859 when he was still crown prince KGPH Hangabehi, the dance was called Sukarsih after the name of a court singer, Nyi Sukarsih, with whom the prince was in love.
The prince created the dance to convey his four principles of life for women, namely ha (the first Javanese alphabet), meaning patience and perseverance, na, implying humbleness, ca, suggesting steadfastness and loyalty, and ra, indicating modesty.
This royal dance was also meant to express the feeling of love and compassion, as the name Sukarsih signifies. Srimpi Sukarsih, therefore, describes the prince's love story, as confirmed by Surakarta royal dance instructor Eko Kadarsih.
According to her, this dance tells of a love story between the crown prince and the beautiful court singer. "Through this choreography the prince could always remember his intimate relations with the singer, as all art performances used to be linked with the history of Surakarta monarchs," she told The Jakarta Post.
Likewise, Bedaya Ketawang, normally performed as an annual event to commemorate the coronation of Surakarta kings, portrays the supernatural love between Panembahan Senopati, first king of the Mataram kingdom, and Ratu Kidul, mythical queen of the South Sea.
In the same tone, Wahyu Santoso Prabowo of Surakarta's Indonesian Arts College (STSI) said the creation of Pakoe Boewono VIII represented deep adoration given to a woman. This feeling is usually reflected in dance movements and verses sung by court singers.
"Politically, Srimpi dances were at the same time meant to legitimize the power of Surakarta kings as descendants of their Mataram royal ancestors in Java, based on the instruction of the first monarch, Sultan Agung," the STSI researcher explained.
Despite the delicacy of court dances and their high philosophy, the interest to study these royal choreographic pieces among members of the younger generation is very slim, with students mostly comprising local women who have already belonged to the court's troupe for some time.
This phenomenon has become the concern of Kadarsih and Prabowo, who find it difficult to recruit youngsters who are eager to follow royal dance training, though the Surakarta court has opened its training hall to the public.
In Prabowo's opinion, the reluctance of youths to join this court art performance is due to the long duration of each piece and the various rules involved, besides the lack of understanding of the dances' symbolism and philosophy.
STSI-Surakarta may offer one way of preserving the noble art handed down by the past kingdoms of Java. "The choreography department of STSI has for a long time obliged its selected students to master the traditional court dances," Prabowo said.
Among the classical pieces chosen as compulsory subjects at the department are Srimpi Ludiromadu, Sangupati, Anglir Mendung, Dhempel, Tamenggita and Srimpi Lobong, in which STSI students have had to study at the Surakarta court since the 1970s.