Java Classical Dance
Besides
the classical Javanese dance-dramas and sendratari, Surakarta style and
Yogyakarta style, there are other independent dances which have always been
popular with Indonesians especially the Javanese. These dances rake the form of
war-dances and love-dances.
Among
the Most popular are tile Beksan Lawung (Yogyakarta style), Klana Topeng
(Yogyakarta style), Beksan Wayang Golek (Yogyakarta style), Gambir Anoni
(Surakarta style), Bondan (Surakarta style), Gatutkaca Gandrung (Surakarta
style), Golek (Yogyakarta style) and war-dances such as Srikandi fighting
Cakil, Prahasta fighting Hanila, Ontoreja fighting Hanggada and so on.
The
dances used to be called beksan, wireng or petilan, but they are now called
only by their names.
is
ridiculed by Sent and Kumitir, but damarwulan persists in his plan and asks
Patih Logender's leave to go and kill Menakjingga. His request is granted and
he soon appears before Prabu Kenya to ask permission to go to Blambangan to
destroy menakjingga, At first Prabu Kenya hesitates doubting whether only a
stableboy will be able to beat him. She grants him his request, however, and
lie soon prepares himself to go to Blambangan.
Arriving
at Blambangan, Damarwulan appears before Menakjingga and conveys Prabu Kenya's
order to surrender. But Menakjingga bursts into laughter and say that it is
Prabu Kenya who has better surrender and become his wife, Damarwulan insists
until Menakjingga becomes very angry and strikes him. A violent fight follows.
Menakjingga, who is known as the cruel and limping vassal, has a magic weapon
called the gada wesi kuning (a brass club) and cannot be beaten. This weapon is
never used except at critical moments, menakjingga's wives, Waita and Punyengan
who are watching the battle, rake pity on Damarwulan, because they know he will
surely die if the gada wesi kuning hits him. They decide to steal the gada and
give it to Damarwulan.
Again
and again Damarwulan falls to the ground because of tile violent blows of
Menakjingga. At at moment when the latter is not looking, Waita and Puyengan
hand the gada wesi kuning to Damarwulan. Menakjingga is greatly startied to see
that his weapon is in his enemy's hand. All of a sudden his limbs weaken and
Damarwulan kills him with one blow. After thanking Waita and Puyengan,
Damarwulan asks leave to set out for Majapahit to hand over Menakjingga's head
to Prabu Kenya.
When
Seta and Kumitir, both ignoble men beard about Damarwulan's success in bringing
home Menakjingga's head, they plan to take it away from him and say to Prabu
Kenya that it was they who succeeded in killing Menakjingga.
Damarwulan is intercepted on his way by Seta and Kumitir, who take
Menakjingga's head away from him. They return to Majapahit to report their
victory, but Damarwulan soon comes to report it was he and not they who killed
Menakiingga.
Thus Damarwulan has saved Majapahit, and at the same time wins two beautiful
wives, Anjasmara and Prabu Kenya.
BEKSAN
LAWUNG
The
Beksan Lawung is a dance for men depicting the knighthood of the Period of
feudal society. it represents contests between knights in the skill of using
their lances, similar to the tournaments in Western Europe during the Middle
Ages.
Beksan
Lawung has been cultivated in the palaces of both Surakarta and Yogyakarta.
Kusumakesawa, a dance expert of Surakarta belonging to the older generation,
says that Beksan Luwung already exsisted in the mataram (17th century). A Plete
Beksan Luwung is danced by 16 dancers; however, the number can be reduced to
10, 8, 6 or even 4, in Yogyakarta the Beksan Luwung is also called Beksan
Trunajaya because it, was danced by the Trunajaya army troop.
KLANA
TOPENG
The
Klana Topeng dance Yogyakarta style Of the strong type describes King Klana
Sewandana from the kingdom Of Bantarangin who is in love with Dewi Candrakirana
of the panji story. In the dance Klana Sewandana is dressing himself up. he
combs his hair, Powders his face, arranges his eye-brows and his moustache,
tidies up his Clothes, and finally looks in the mirror. The dance also
describes how klana, who seems to see Dewi Candrakirana in front of him, Moves
to and fro to got hold of her. There are many surakarta Style elements in the
dance.
BEKSAN
WAYANG GOLEX
The
Beksan, wayang Golek was created by Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX about 1944. It is
different from the Other Yogyakarta style dances in that the dance movements
imitate the stiff movements of wayang golek (wooden puppet play) though the
movement are short and broken the dance is none the less of a high aesthetic
quality; both male and female dancers wear jackets. The important charaters
portrayed in the Beksan wayang Golek are those of the Menak stories, for
instance, marmaya fighting King Jayengpati. GAMBIR ANOM
Gambir
Anom is a solo dance surakarta style of the refined type danced either by a man
or a woman but usually by a woman.
The
Gambir Anom dance depicts lrawan, Arjuna's son, in love he is dressing himself
up; he combs his hair, Powders his face, arranges his eye-brows and Puts his
clothes in order, His toilet complete, he bends forward in several directions
as if the girl of his dreams is in front of him.
GAMBYONG
The gambyong is a female dance, surakarta style, usually danced by one' three
or dancers. The gambyong dance describes a Young woman dressing herself up to
look more beautiful. BONDAN
The
bondan is a solo female dance, Surakarta style, describing a young girl taking
care of and cuddling her little sister.
GATOTKACA
GANDRUNG
The
Gatotkaca gandrung is a very popular solo-dance surakarta style of the strong
type, describing Gatotkaca dresses himself up, moving here and there as though Pregiwa
is close to him.
GOLEK
The golek is a Solo female dance, Yogyakarta style (which can 6180 be danced by
more dancers) describing a young girl dressing herself up.
PETILAN
ONTOREJA FIGHTING HANGGADA
This
Yogyakarta Style dance describes the fight between onto-raja, Bima,s son and
Hanggada, Subali,s son, from the lakon Rama Nitis (Incarnation of Rama). The
fight is won by ontoreja.The lakon Rama Nitis is a mixture of the epics
Ramayana and Mahabharata, in which Rama incarnates in, Kresna and Laksmana in
Arjuna.