Javanese dance is the dances and art forms that were created and influenced by Javanese culture. Javanese dance is usually associated with courtly, refined and sophisticated culture of the Javanese
kratons, such as the
Bedhaya
and Srimpi dance. However, in a wider sense, Javanese dance also
includes the dances of Javanese commoners and villagers such as Ronggeng, Tayub,
Reog, and Kuda Lumping.
Javanese dance is usually associated with Wayang wong, and the palaces of Yogyakarta and
Surakarta due to the nature of dance being a
pusaka
or sacred heirloom from ancestors of the palace rulers. These
expressive dances are more than just dances, they are also used for moral education, emotional expression, and spreading of the Javanese culture.
Bedhaya Dance
The
bedhaya (also written as
bedoyo,
beḍaya, and various other transliterations) is a sacred ritualized dance of
Java, Indonesia, associated with the royal palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. Along with the serimpi, the bedhaya epitomized the elegant (
alus) character of the royal court, and the dance became an important symbol of the ruler's power.
The bedhaya has different forms in the two court cities, the
bedhaya Ketawang in Surakarta (Solo), and the
bedhaya Semang
in Yogyakarta, the latter of which is no longer performed. The Solonese
dance continues to be performed once per year, on the second day of the
Javanese month of Ruwah (during May in the Gregorian calendar), to commemorate the ascension of the current
Susuhunan
(prince) of Surakarta. Nine females, relatives or wives of the
Susuhunan, perform the dance before a private audience. An invitation to
anyone outside of the inner circle of the court is a considerable
honor.
History
Some kind of female dance known as
bedhaya existed on Java at least as early as the
Majapahit Empire.
Indeed, some of the steps of the modern dance are said to be as old as the third century.
However, the modern form is traditionally dated to the court of
Sultan Agung of Mataram
(reigned 1613–1645). Unfortunately there is almost no historical
evidence to back up the claims made about the advances in the arts in
Sultan Agung's courts, and the existence of the dance is not clearly
documented until the late 18th century.
There are many myths which explain the origin of the dance, which generally have either an account of a meeting with an Indic deity (
Shiva,
Brahma,
Vishnu,
Indra, or the
Buddha), or the meeting of
Kangjeng Ratu Kidul, the Goddess of the South Sea, meeting with a founder of the
Mataram dynasty, either Sultan Ageng or his grandfather,
Senapati.
In the former, the nine dancers were the creation of a deity, who were
brought to life, and offered the dance to their maker in gratitude. In
the latter, the dance was created when Kangjeng Ratu Kidul fell in love
with the sultan, and danced the bedhaya for him; the nine dancers in the
modern dance represent the spirit of the goddess.
Since the decline in the power of the royal courts, other, more
accessible forms of bedhaya have become popular, not as religious
ritual, but as artistic performance. These do not require the royal
presence, and may be performed on stage for an admission fee. They
frequently recount stories used in
wayang.
The dance is held in a
pendhapa,
a pillared audience hall with a peaked roof, with the Susuhunan on a
throne in the middle of the room. The dance is performed in three large
sections. In each section, the dancers emerge from a room behind the
audience hall, approach the throne single file, dance in front of the
throne, and then retreat, again single file. They approach and retreat
on opposite sides of the throne, thus
circumambulating the throne in a clockwise direction, the appropriate direction for veneration in
Buddhist and
Shaivist traditions.
A name and number is given to each of the nine dancers, which
designate a specific position in the changing choreographic pattern.
There are slight variations between different sources in the names and
numbers of the dancers, but there is consensus on the general forms.
They are: a human being, representing
taṇhā (the word for desire or craving in Buddhism), four
chakras (the top three of which are used as note names; see
slendro), and the four limbs:
- èndhèl/èndhèl ajeg, "desire", "constant/fixed desire", "attachment"
- pembatak/batak, "head", "mind"
- gulu/jangga, "neck"
- dhadha, "chest"
- buncit/bunthil, "tail", "genitals", "lower end of spinal column"
- apit ngajeng/apit ngarep, "right arm", "right flank", "front flank"
- apit wingking/apit mburi, "left arm", "rear flank"
- èndhèl weton/èndhèl wedalan ngajeng/èndhèl jawi, "right leg", "emergent desire", "front emergent desire", "outside desire"
- apit meneng/èndhèl wedalan wingking, "left leg", "quiet flank", "rear emergent desire"
The first two sections of the dance each have three positions, with
slight variations, while the last adds a final, fourth position. The
first position is in the shape of a human being, with the first five
dancers in a line down the middle, and those representing the right and
left sides in front and behind (from the perspective of the Susuhunan),
respectively. In the second position, the dancers divide into two facing
groups, the arms and desire to one side, and the chakras and legs on
the other. In the third section of the dance, there is an added section
of an encounter between the desire and head dancers in the second
position, while the other dancers squat. The third position places the
dancers either in a row (Surakarta) or with the arms to one side
(Yogyakarta), with desire in the middle. The final position is in a 3x3
grid (
rakit tiga-tiga), with the three upper chakra centers in the middle column.
Kuda Lumping Dance
Kuda Lumping (literally
flat horse; also known as
Jaran Kepang in Javanese) is a traditional
Javanese dance depicting a group of
horsemen.
Dancers "ride" horses made from woven bamboo and decorated with
colorful paints and cloth. Generally, the dance portrays troops riding
horses, but another type of
Kuda Lumping performance also
incorporates trances and magic tricks. When the "possessed" dancer is
performing the dance in trance conditions, he can display unusual
abilities, such as eating glass and resistance to the effects of
whipping or hot coals. Although the dance is native to Java, Indonesia, it also performed by Javanese communities in Suriname, Malaysia and Singapore.
The origin of Kuda Lumping is uncertain. Two main hypotheses have been proposed. The first suggests that
Kuda Lumping may have arisen out of
Diponegoro's
war against the
Dutch colonial forces, as a ritual reenactment of battles. The second argues that it is based on
Mataram-era troops riding against the Dutch.
Kuda Lumping is known under different names in different areas. While
Kuda Lumping is the most common name in West Java, in Central Java it is known as
Jaran Kepang; in Bali, it is known as
Sang Hyang Jaran.
In Bali
Sanghyang dance refer to the type of dance involving trance by spirit identified as
hyang.
Kuda Lumping may be performed in celebration of a special event, such as a boy's
circumcision or rite of passage.
] It may also be performed as entertainment, in a busker style.
It is generally performed in a cordoned-off area, with the audience separated from the dancers.
Kuda Lumping is traditionally performed by a group of men drawn from the local community; this group can number from 2 to 8.
The performers mount rattan horses and dance while traditional instruments such as the
angklung,
gongs, and
dog-dog drums are played.
] This portion of the performance ends when a dancer enters a trance, which is traditionally said to be caused by
spirit possession.
In
Sang Hyang Jaran, the audience may participate by forming a chorus and singing.
During their trances, the dancers may pretend to eat grass or drink
water, while another performer or shaman uses a whip to direct them. In
some performances, dancers may walk on coals or eat glass or fire, which
can cause various injuries. The dancers also interact with the
audience; in busker performances they may ask for money. In some areas
the dancers serve as oracles to deliver prophecies. After awakening from
their trances, performers claim not to remember anything done while
performing.
Dancers perform using rattan horses, generally colourful and decorated
with beads and sequins. Adults use larger horses than children.
Children's horses may also be cut from bamboo mats.
Performers wear colorful clothes and may occasionally dress as
soldiers. The costume may also include small bells strung around the
ankle. In comparison to the shaman, the dancers' costumes are more feminized
(wikipedia.org)
