TIM stages operatic Javanese dance drama 'Dewabrata'

By Sal Murgiyanto

TAIPEI (JP): Jakarta dance-goers are in for a real treat. Highly respected Javanese choreographer Retno Maruti will present her latest composition Dewabrata, an operatic Javanese dance drama, at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), on June 28 and 29.

Maruti is famous for her thoughtful, finely detailed and elegant works. A faculty member of the Jakarta Institute for the Arts, she is not only skilled in dance but also in Javanese singing. This is the reason for her molding the dance drama in the Javanese operatic form langendriyan of the lesser court of Mangkunagaran, Surakarta.

Daughter of a shadow puppeteer, Maruti learned from her father not only various episodes of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, but also to creatively reinterpret and recreate literary works into a dance form. She believes a choreographer should create a work to entertain and send a message. Maruti is aware that her Jakarta audience is composed of traditional and modern Javanese, as well as non-Javanese.

"I must not just repeat traditional Javanese values and norms, which are often criticized as feudalistic, colonial, elitist and limited to Javanese, but send a message relevant to the multicultural Indonesian and to myself," she says.

In 1994 for the Indonesian Dance Festival in Jakarta, Maruti choreographed The Death of Abimanyu, an episode of the Bharatayudha using two groups of Bedoyo dancers (a total of 18 women) and classical Javanese singing and musical compositions. Maruti molded the tragic story into a non-narrative, lyrical choreography. In the 45-minute work Maruti maintained the contemplative calmness of the Bedoyo.

In her earlier work, Ciptoning, Maruti reinterpreted the popular wayang lakon Arjuna Wiwaha to speak up on women's emancipation. Traditionally, the focus of this play is Arjuna, the handsome hero of the Pandhava. The God Guru, Shiva, disturbed Arjuna's deep meditation to ask for his assistance to kill the ogre king Niwatakawaca, who threatened to destroy the abode of gods if his wish to marry the nymph Supraba was rejected. With Supraba's help, Arjuna heroically completed the task. As the prize, Arjuna was then wedded to the nymph and crowned as the king of males, if only briefly.

In Ciptoning, Maruti added a scene in which Subadra, Arjuna's wife, comes during Arjuna's meditation. In a very delicate voice, she reprimands Arjuna for irresponsibility for leaving her with their newborn son Abimanyu, and not informing her when he would return. There was another intriguing scene. Arjuna killed Niwatakawaca with a magic arrow given by the God Indra.

In her choreography, Maruti did not use the customary arrow, instead employing Supraba as a human arrow. This symbol argues that not men alone, but women too could accomplish an important task.

Unlike Ciptoning's use of prosaic dialog, Dewabrata employs sung lyrics, which Maruti wrote herself for the four acts.

Story

Dewabrata is another name of the sage Bisma -- son of Santanu from the Goddess of Ganges -- while he was crown prince of Astina.

The complicated story begins when young Dewabrata is sent by his father to ask Princess Durgandini's hand as his father's bride. The princess is willing only if Dewabrata makes a promise that in the future her son, not Dewabrata, will be king of Astina. Paying deep respects to his beloved father, Dewabrata agrees to the princess' wish. But the princess pushes him further. "Son, you have given your agreement. But what about your future wife?" Deeply perplexed and humiliated, Dewabrata determines to leave the palace, live as a sage and practice celibacy.

In acts two and three, there are other daunting tests for the more mature, handsome, skillful and enlightened Dewabrata. He is sent by his father to search for brides for his two adult half- brothers. He goes to the kingdom of Kasi to participate in a dueling contest for three beautiful princesses of Kasi named Amba, Ambika and Ambalika. Dewabrata accomplishes the task.

He then tells the three princesses that they will marry his two half-brothers, future rulers of Astina, instead of himself. Amba and Ambalika gladly obey. But the more mature and dignified Amba is upset.

In Amba's reasoning, Dewabrata has broken his promise to marry the three princesses if he won the competition. After all, if he is celibate, why did he enter the highly competitive contest? She scolds the handsome prince for being selfish, and tells him about her own vow to marry and serve the man who won the competition, irrespective whether he was a prince, priest or farmer.

"I am member of a high respected clan, and like you Lord, I too have to keep my promise," she tells him. "I am deeply humiliated that after putting your life in that competition, you trash my words and my body to somebody I don't love nor even know."

Dewabrata trembles and speaks to himself. "It is easier to fight the two ogres in the competition than arguing with this beautiful, brilliant, and faithful young princess." But no words come out from his mouth. Instinctively, his hands grabs his bow and arrow. When he manages to overcome half of his reasoning, he frightens the princess with his arrow, and says "Woman, you follow my order or you will die". To his surprise, Amba isn't deterred and calmly answers, "My Lord, to a member of the Kasi clan, death is the other side of life. If I fail to keep my promise in the present life, then I would rather die and compensate in my next life!"

Dewabrata freezes as he loses his dignity, pride and control of his arrow, which darts and kills the woman. "My Lord, we are victims of our own words," she says. "Still, I'll keep my promise. When the time comes, in the grand battle between your split clan, I will come to meet you as your wedded one!"

The final act depicts the grand battle between Kaurava and Pandhava, the two feuding brothers of the Bharata clan. Dewabrata is now old and better known as the sage Bisma. Thousands from both sides have been killed, not only soldiers but also civilians who do not understand why so many lives have been sacrificed. Hoping to reunite the fighting minor clans, Dewabrata comes to the battlefield on Kaurava's side.

His blood boils as he sees thousands of wounded soldiers, and memories of his youth as a highly skilled warrior return. He raises his club and wields it like a fan, killing those who dare to get close. Prince Seta and his two brothers, Pandhava's chief warriors, are killed. In great distress, the troops withdraw from the battle field to search for advice from Krishna.

To everybody's surprise, Krishna orders Srikandhi, Arjuna's warrior wife, to lead Pandhava's armies. Meeting her uncle Bisma in the battlefield, Srikandhi pays her respects. "Dear uncle, I am not your match in this battle," she says humbly. But if I have to die for my land and my people this is my dharma as a warrior. This also a way to express my deep love and respect to my husband Arjuna."

Bisma is stunned. "This is the voice I have been waiting to hear for years." In a flashback, he sees Amba in Srikandhi and he realizes that his time has come.

Acts two and four are prepared by Sentot Sudiharto, Maruti's husband, and dancers S. Trisapto and Djoko S.S. The show also involves two guest artists from Surakarta, Wahyu Sentosa, a dancer whose voice is more than convincing, and B. Subono, the composer of some of the music for the work.

Dr. Sal Murgiyanto is Dean of the Department of Performing Arts, Jakarta Institute for the Arts. He is currently a visiting lecturer in the graduate program of the Dance Department, National Institute of the Arts, Taipei.