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.