Traditional 'angklung' dance retains popularity in E. Java
Traditional 'angklung' dance retains popularity in E. Java
By Singgir Kartana
BANYUWANGI, East Java (JP): It was a merry Wednesday night in
Kalibaru Cottage's lobby. Dozens of foreign tourists got carried
away watching an angklung dance performed by three young girls,
Fitri, Prima and Uut. They are members of the Sekar Wangi Dance
Company.
When the dance was over, some male tourists looked exhausted
after dancing along with the dancers for nearly half an hour. Yet
they apparently were not fully satisfied and asked for more,
which the organizer granted.
"Fantastic! What a beautiful dance," commented Robert A. Patt
while wiping sweat off his forehead after dancing.
The angklung dance is one of a few Banyuwangi traditional arts
which has survived in the face of modern arts. The angklung dance
is not only frequently performed at parties but also has become
routine entertainment in several hotels in Banyuwangi.
For instance, the Sekar Wangi Dance Company is booked nearly
once a week to stage the dance in Kalibaru Cottage Hotel, not to
mention other troupes in that area.
"Even those who cannot dance, the moment they hear the
angklung rhythm, they will start dancing or tapping their feet.
I've never seen anyone in the audience, including foreigners, who
refused to dance when I grab their hand," said dancer Lily
Dwiasih, 15, a senior high school student in Banyuwangi.
How has the dance been able to retain its popularity? Perhaps
the answer is its ability to metamorphose and to adjust to modern
demands. It adopts elements of other arts to enrich itself.
The art of angklung itself has a history of development, going
through changes and improvisations in terms of music and
movements. Its ability to adapt to modern arts has enabled it to
compete with modern performing arts.
There is no historical record of when angklung began. Legend
has it that the birth of angklung was closely related to the
agrarian tradition of the rural society.
It is believed that angklung was created by people guarding
their rice fields against grain-eating birds as the paddy
ripened. To scare off birds and to kill time, they played simple
music on bamboo blades arranged on grass. The bamboo blade
arrangement is similar to kulintang bamboo musical instruments.
Fledging
In the 1980s, angklung got fierce competition from modern
forms of entertainment, such as film, video, karaoke, pop music
and dangdut music.
Angklung lost its shine to modern forms of entertainment.
Well aware of the threat, artists and art workers worked hard at
innovation.
Misnadi, 40, the owner of the Sekar Wangi Dance Company, for
example, tried to incorporate the elements of music and dance
movements of various folk arts into angklung. A similar effort
was also made by Bambang Mulyono, 62, the owner of Sempu Dance
Company.
The undertaking bore fruit and angklung regained its fame,
although the innovations cost it some of its original elements.