9/19/2023 0 Comments Wayang water puppetry![]() ![]() Some scholars link the clown with transvestite shamanic traditions of the archipelago that may have given rise to groups like the bissu of Sulawesi. While he participates in the world of the story, his jokes deal with what is going on in contemporary life. An androgyne, he is both mother and father of his sons. This clown is both the high god of the universe descended to earth and the lowliest of men, a servant to the hero. The clown (the god clown Semar in Java and Sunda, Twalen in Bali) is the character which is closest to the dalang‘s own persona. In its most complex iteration the practice of puppetry gives the performer access to a philosophy, which teaches that behind the apparent multiplicity of the cosmos is a unitary force, which merely manifests itself in different ways. Refined characters will be danced with the right hand which is capable of grace, while the ogre character is on the dalang‘s left hand – the literal jerkiness will reveal he is a jerk. For example, refined characters use a low note and by a manipulation of the throat make it wider inside to create a pleasing resonance, while ogre kings use a higher and changing notes and a combination of nasal and chest resonators. Performers codified the different sounds and movements possible in the normal human body so that each type will be distinct. The system is probably an outcome of the fact that this is a solo theatre form. ![]() Typology is both very pragmatic (creating specifics of how a character’s voice is sounded or with what energy a dance movement is executed) and rather esoteric (along the north coast of Java the different types are associated with different compass points, ages of life, or elements – earth, water, fire, air). ![]() The clown is associated with the centre and the performer’s self. He ( Semar) combines female and male, human and divine, and is, conceptually, a mix of all of the other energies. The clown, of divine origin but low class, is an androgyne. Examples are Rahwana ( Ravana in India) in the Ramayana, Kelana in Panji stories, and Dursasana in the Mahabharata. The ogre has associations with the underworld and death and functions as the antagonist or villain. The strong character represents the active male principle and is typified by Hanuman the monkey general in the Ramayana, Tumenggung the strong prime minister in Panji stories, and large, straight-talking Bima (the second of the five Pandawa brothers) in the Mahabharata. The principle female ( putri) is a heroine like Sita, the wife of Rama, Candra Kirana, the beloved of Prince Panji, or Sumbadra the wife of Arjuna. Narratively, this character is the refined hero: Rama in the Ramayana, Panji in legendary stories of Java, Arjuna in the Mahabharata. The refined character will often have a white face and be associated with the noble or divine. A fifth group is the clown ( panasar in Bali, punakawan in Java). While in different areas the names of the types will be slightly different, the major recurring types are refined male ( alus), refined female ( putri), strong male ( gagah) and demon ( denawa). Perhaps because the point of origin of traditional theatre is a solo puppet master, the wayang is a theatre of stylization where a single person can represent many different characters by rules of type. Dancers are wayang orang, “human puppets”, in his show. But dancers must follow the dalang‘s improvised narrative. If the story uses actors instead of puppets, these dancers make their own choreographic choices and, sometimes improvise their own dialogue. He cues the orchestra with taps on the wooden puppet chest. He (or sometimes she) is also responsible for singing mood songs, reciting mantra that safeguard the performance, and infusing humour into the tale. The dalang delivers narration, controls the gong chime orchestra, usually called a gamelan, and normally delivers all the dialogue, as well as moving all the figures. Local theatre therefore depends on a dalang ( dhalang in Javanese), a puppet master/story teller who shapes the overall performance. Traditional theatre is modelled on puppetry which is considered the elder art. The term wayang is usually said to come from bayang (shadow), and shadow theatre puppetry is considered the model for other forms of this puppet, mask or dance performance. Wayang is the traditional theatre of Java, Sunda (West Java), Bali, Lombok, Sumatra, Kalimantan in Indonesia and Malaysia that have been influenced by Javanese culture. ![]()
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