Women on and behind the stage

Women on and behind the stage

Wayang orang, traditional Javanese classical drama, is an art
form that demands that its performers be in tip-top physical
condition, with endurance to match, for the hours of rehearsals
and Javanese classical dance skills required.

Women can form themselves into a wayang orang group, as Wayang
Orang Putri Kunti Nalibroto has done, similar to a Japanese
Kabuki.

With makeup that includes fake moustache and beards, the women
dance masculinely as antagonists or elegantly as knights. Behind
the stage, they are still mothers, taking time to play with their
children or picking up the phone to chat with loved ones. The
group took the stage earlier this month at Gedung Kesenian
Jakarta as part of an entertainment package marking the 478th
anniversary of the capital.

-- Text and photos by R. Berto Wedhatama

Photo E : Wayang

Still a mom, after all

Photo F : Wayang

Beautiful Arjuna

Photo G : Wayang

Show must go on

Photo H : Wayang

New gadget, traditional costume, everyday concerns

Photo I : Wayang

Commanding attention