Tuwon, the grande dame of Balinese dance

Tuwon, the grande dame of Balinese dance

Jagadhita, Contributor/Denpasar

The skinny woman leaned back weakly in her chair on the stage
while her eyes looked dull even though she was a star on that
very night. Along with eight other Balinese senior artists, Ni
Wayan Tuwon received an award for her dedication as a dancer.

She reclined in her seat not because she did not respect Bali
Governor Dewa Made Beratha, who presented the award in the recent
26th Bali Art Festival, and thousands of people who witnessed the
event. It was because the 72-year-old woman was tired attending
the occasion that lasted for three hours. What's more, she was
exhausted after demonstrating her dancing skills.

Tuwon is a master of Joged Pingit, a sacred dance that is
performed on certain holidays.

She could not enjoy the event whole-heartedly as her husband,
Nyoman Reken, a traditional musician, died not long ago. If he
was still alive, Tuwon must have been very happy receiving Rp 3
million cash and a health insurance from the governor.

Tuwon, who has two children and two grandchildren, is the only
senior artist who masters Joged Pingit. Indeed, she is the only
living old dancer in Banjar Jungut Alas Angker of Bungbungan
village, Banjar Angkan subdistrict of Klungkung district.

Banjar Jungut Alas Angker is popular for its Joged Pingit and
people in Bungbungan often call the dance Joged Gandangan Pingit
Alas Angker. All of her fellow dancers have died but Tuwon does
not stop dancing and she even keeps on teaching teenagers in the
village how to dance.

Joged Pingit is performed during piodalan, a special ceremony
that is held once in six months in a temple like the Kahyangan
Tiga temple in Banjar Jungut Alas Angker or in Dalem Desa temple
in her village.

Tuwon has a long journey of dancing. She started to learn
dancing when she was 14 years old. She did not inherit the skill
from her parents as her father, I Nyoman Pilih, was a farmer
while her mother, Ni Ketut Nyambleh, a construction worker. She
said that she danced to answer the call from the village and from
Ida Bethara (God) in Kahyangan Desa temple.

"I'd never had any intention to be a great dancer. I only had
one wish: to get the chance to ngayah (voluntary work) in Pura
Desa village while entertaining," Tuwon said.

Her dancing teacher was Ni Wayan Jani, who was nearly blind.
Despite her poor sight, Jani was a good, sensitive teacher who
could feel the mistakes in the movements of her students. Jeni
was the first generation of Joged Pingitan dancers in Banjar Alas
Angker. She should stop teaching and dancing due to her old age.
Jeni was the only dancing teacher of her generation, and so does
Tuwon, who is the only teacher who is still alive in her old age.

The young generation in Bungbungan should be grateful as they
have the chance to learn the dance from a senior dancer who
firmly maintains the original steps of Joged Pingit dance.

Now, Tuwon belongs not only to Banjar Alas Angker, but to the
whole Bali. From Tuwon, one can learn not only about dancing, but
also the wisdom of life, virtue and simplicity.

In 1997, the Director General of Culture from Jakarta visited
her modest house in the village. He encouraged her to keep on
teaching the young generation in order to preserve the dance. How
did Tuwon respond? She just nodded because she did not understand
Bahasa Indonesia, the language spoken by the official to her. She
is even illiterate. Tuwon, who can only speaks Balinese, does not
know her birthday, either.

But she remembers well that she started teaching dancing in
1950 with a hope that young people in her village would preserve
the dance.

"As long as I can still dance, I will dance," said the old
woman softly.

Tuwon is not a famous dancer and she said that dancers of her
generation had average skills because they only knew one kind of
dance, that is Joged Pingit. Tuwon believes that it is a sacred
dance and she believes that certain power would enter the soul of
the dancers.

"When I dance, I often feel something unusual, I don't know
what it is. It is like different power of spirit," she said.

Tuwon had never danced far from her village, let alone outside
Bali. She only danced as far as Klungkung, Bangli and Rendang
Karangasem. She mostly danced at Kahyangan Desa temple. Recently
she was invited to take part in the Bali Art Festival.

In her old days, Tuwon spends most of her time at home. She
baby-sits her children and sometimes, when she feels fit, she
would go to the field, looking for firewood or just taking a walk
for a relaxation. Since her husband died, Tuwon often feels
lonely but her loneliness is gone whenever she plays with her
grandchildren.

"I am old now. What else I could do, except waiting for the
Almighty God to pick me up," said Tuwon, who also received an
award from Klungkung Regent in 1998.

Her dedication in dancing is worth a hat off. As she has said,
she dances not for money and not for herself.

"I am happy, there are younger people who can dance Joged
Pingit even though my own children and grandchildren can not do
it," said Tuwon, whose son becomes an elementary school teacher.

Ni Tuwon is indeed a dance master who mesmerized the audience
with her skills, like what she did during her performance at the
Bali Art Festival. She was still powerful even though the thick
powder could not hide the wrinkles in her face. As she was on
stage, she was suddenly enveloped by the dancing spirit that
allowed her to dance enthusiastically. As she stopped dancing,
she became herself, an old lady who needed somebody to help walk
her to her seat.

Among the nine senior artists who received awards from the
Bali governor, Tuwon was indeed the star.

Nine senior artists who received awards from the Bali
administration:

1. Joged Pingit dancer, Ni Wayan Tuwon,72, Klungkung

2. Literary man (Sastrawan) Putu Sedana,72, Buleleng

3. Dancer I Wayan Badra,77, Badung

4. Arja dancer Tjokorda Anom Putra,72, Bangli

5. Puppeter I Nyoman Ganjreng, 66, Gianyar

6. Dancer Ni Ketut Sendi,65, Jembrana

7. Mask dancer I Gusti Lanang Sidemen, Karangasem

8. Arja dancer I Made Liges,63, Tabanan

9. Traditional musician I Ketut Wijana, Denpasar