Suprapto taps into spiritual world of gongs for humanity
Suprapto taps into spiritual world of gongs for humanity
By I Wayan Juniarta
GIANYAR, Bali (JP): For artist Suprapto Suryodarmo, a gong
is more than just a bronze gamelan musical instrument. For him it
is rich in spiritual meaning.
Suprapto believes the circular brass instrument represents the
microcosmic world, a miniature world of human beings.
Last Saturday night, the plaza of Samuan Tiga Pura in Gianyar,
south of Denpasar, was filled with melodious sounds from a
Balinese gamelan orchestra. Supporting traditional Makassar drums
complimented the orchestra to create a mystical atmosphere in
this ancient Hindu Temple.
Suprapto, a dancer from Surakarta, Central Java, and a number
of dancers like I Wayan Dibya, rector of the Denpasar Arts
Institute, Restu Imansari from the Bali Purnati Foundation,
Suryani from Makassar performed the Basalen, a ritual process of
forging a gong.
During the hour-long process, Suprapto elegantly performed a
ritual dance combined with meditation. He danced around the stage
surrounded by torchlight, then swayed gently to the ground.
His movements were inspired, telling of intense physical
exercise and meditation in ancient Javanese temples or at
Parangtritis beach in Yogyakarta.
Balinese dancer, I Wayan Dibya, joined the ritual followed by
female dancers Restu Imansari and Suryani, collaborating with
Suprapto in the elegant dance.
"This ritual is a necessity for me," said the soft-voiced
Suprapto. It is not only about the gong but a means to purify our
inner beings, Suprapto said.
The gong dance was inspired by a traditional Dayak dance from
Kalimantan, where Dayak artists perform a beautiful dance on a
gong. Suprapto adapted this dance with his own choreography for
his first Basalen ritual in l992.
He has performed this ritual in several cities including in
his Padepokan Lemah Putih in Surakarta where he collaborated with
Bambang Sunarto and British musician Adrian Lee in l995. Suprapto
also performed a similar ritual in Dartmoor, England with a
Buddhist priest.
But the Basalen ritual in Pura Samuan Tiga has more meaning
for Suprapto. When he performed at the International Percussion
Festival Sacred Rhythm last December, Suprapto was deeply moved
by the sacred Pura Samuan Tiga.
The temple is believed to have been built in the ninth
century. It is a historical site where warring religious sects
held continuous dialog to create a peaceful and harmonious
atmosphere.
"What I found here was not only a religious but also cultural
meeting of minds," commented Suprapto.
He saw the local people devoutly praying and offering various
gifts to build a dialog with their Creator.
"I have learned a lot from the local people about life and
humanity," Suprapto noted.
He said the people around Pura Samuan Tiga had reminded him of
the sanctity of a place of worship and the essence of fraternity.
Suprapto expressed his deep gratitude to the people through
this basalen ritual.
"I promised myself last December that I would create a
remarkable gong and dedicate it to the people here for
enlightening my spiritual life," he said.
The villagers enthusiastically greeted Suprapto and helped
prepare the Basalen ritual.
Sudarsana, a villager, warmly accepted the gift from Suprapto
saying,"The gong is one of the ritual instruments for us."
The gong becomes a symbol of brotherhood among Suprapto, other
colleague artists and the Samuan Tiga villagers.