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