Serimpi Dance, A Traditional Dance From Java Indonesia

 

Srimpi or Serimpi is a form of repertoire (presentation) of classical Javanese dance from the tradition of the palace of the Sultanate of Mataram and has been preserved and developed until now by the four palaces of its heirs in Central Java (Surakarta) and Yogyakarta.

The presentation of this stage dance is characterized by four dancers performing graceful movements that describe politeness, subtlety, and gentleness shown by slow and graceful movements accompanied by the sound of gamelan music. Srimpi is considered to have a similar social position to the Pakarena dance from Makassar, which is seen from the softness of the dancers' movements and as a palace dance.

Since ancient times, Srimpi dance has had a special position in Javanese courts and cannot be equated with other stage dances because of its sacred nature. In the past, this dance could only be performed by people chosen by the palace. Srimpi has the same level of sacredness as heirlooms or objects that symbolize the king's power from the Hindu Javanese era, although it is not as sacred as the Bedhaya dance.

In performances, srimpi dance does not always require offerings like the Bedhaya dance, but only at certain times. The musical accompaniment for the Srimpi dance is to prioritize a combined choir, namely when singing Javanese songs.

Srimpi itself has undergone many developments from time to time, including the duration of the performance. Now one of the cultures originating from Central Java has been developed into several new variants with a shorter duration of performances. For example, Srimpi Anglirmendhung becomes 11 minutes and Srimpi Gondokusumo becomes 15 minutes which initially lasts approximately 60 minutes.

In addition to the performance time, this dance also experienced developments in terms of clothing. At first, the dancer's clothes were like the clothes worn by royal brides with dodotan and bun bokor as headdresses, now the dancer's costumes have turned into sleeveless clothes, as well as hair buns decorated with ceplok flowers, and headdresses in the form of cassowary feathers.
 

History and Fhilosophy of Serimpi Dance

The emergence of Srimpi dance originated from the heyday of the Mataram Kingdom when Sultan Agung ruled in 1613-1646. This dance is considered sacred because it is only performed in the palace environment for state rituals until the commemoration of the sultan's ascension to the throne. In 1775 the Mataram Kingdom split into the Yogyakarta Sultanate and the Surakarta Sunanate. This split has an impact on the Srimpi dance so that there are differences in movement, although the essence of the dance is still the same. This dance appeared in the Surakarta palace environment around 1788-1820. And from the 1920s onwards, classical dance training was included in the Yogyakarta students' Parks subject and in the Krida Beksa Wirama dance and musical association. After Indonesia's independence, this dance was then also taught in government dance and musical academies, both in Solo and in Yogyakarta.

Initially, this dance was called Srimpi Sangopati which refers to an understanding, namely a candidate for successor to the king. However, Srimpi itself also means woman. Another opinion, according to Dr. Priyono, the name srimpi can be linked to the root word “impi” or dream. The point is that when watching the graceful dance for 3/4 to 1 hour, the audience is like being transported to another world, namely dreamland.

Then related to the composition, according to Kanjeng Brongtodiningrat, the composition of the Srimpi dancers symbolizes the four winds or the four elements of the world, namely: Grama (fire), Wind (air), Toya (water), Bumi (earth). The composition, which consists of four people, forms a rectangle that symbolizes the pillar of the pavilion. What is described in the Srimpi dance performance is the war of heroes in the stories of Menak, Purwa, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Javanese history and others or it can also be said as a dance that tells the story of the battle symbolized in the camp (one camp means consisting of two dancers) who involved in a war. The theme displayed in the Srimpi dance is actually the same as the theme in the Bedhaya Sanga dance, which describes the conflict between two contradictory things between good and bad, between right and wrong, and between human reason and lust. The four dancers usually act as Batak, Gulu, Dhada and Buncit.

The theme of war in the Srimpi dance, according to Raden Mas Wisnu Wardhana, is a depiction of the eastern philosophy of life. The war in the Srimpi dance is a symbol of the never-ending struggle between good and evil. Even the Srimpi dance in expressing the war dance movements is seen more clearly because it is carried out with the same movement of two pairs of soldiers against other soldiers with the help of dance properties in the form of weapons. The weapons used in this dance include a small keris or cundrik, a jembeng (a kind of pestle), and a short spear. During the reign of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwana VII, namely in the 19th century, there was also the Srimpi dance in which the weapon was a gun that was fired downwards.

This dance performance from Central Java is usually at the beginning of the event because it functions as an opening dance, in addition, this dance is sometimes also performed when there is a puppet performance. Until now, Srimpi dance is still considered a noble art and is a palace heirloom.

Types of serimpi dance

Srimpi dances in the Sultanate of Yogyakarta are classified into Srimpi Babul Layar, Srimpi Dhempel, and Srimpi Genjung. For the Sultanate of Surakarta, Srimpi is classified into Srimpi Anglir Mendung and Srimpi Bondan. One of the other types of Srimpi dance is Srimpi Renggawati which is performed by five people, namely four dancers plus one dancer as Renggawati's daughter. The story told is the story of Angling Dharma, a young crown prince who was cursed to become a Mliwis bird. He will be able to return to his original form if his body is touched by the hands of a beautiful princess (Princess Renggawati). All of these events are reflected in the dances performed by the Renggawati srimpi dancers which end with a happy ending.

Outside the palace walls, there is the Srimpi dance which is also danced by five dancers, namely Srimpi Lima. This dance developed in rural areas, namely in the midst of the people of Ngadireso Village, Poncokusumo District, Malang Regency, East Java. In Ngadireso Village, Srimpi will be held during a ruwatan ceremony, which is a self-cleaning process that aims to eliminate bad luck and negative aura in a person which is carried out in a certain way. The ruwatan that is carried out is ruwatan murwakala, namely the ruwatan that is carried out to save or protect someone who is believed to be Bethara Kala's prey or food. Even so, this Srimpi has the theme of joy, eroticism, and sacredness. Srimpi Lima is a manifestation of the ideas and activities of the community that owns it. Its existence is strongly influenced by the socio-cultural environment because in an ethnic environment, behavior has a very large authority in determining the existence of arts including traditional dance.

The oldest form of srimpi according to written sources, was created by Sri Pakubuwana V in Java 1748 or around 1820-1823, namely Srimpi Ludiramadu. This dance was created by him to commemorate his mother who is of Madurese blood. The newest form of srimpi is Srimpi Pondelori, composed by teachers of Yogyakarta dance associations, then Among Beksa, performed by eight dancers with the theme Menak.

Srimpi Pondelori itself is a form of Srimpi dance typical of Yogyakarta which is performed by four people. The content is a fight between Dewi Sirtupilaeli and Dewi Sudarawerti over the love of Wong Agung Jayengrana, a prince from an Arab country. At the end of the story there is neither defeat nor victory because the two warring camps are finally all married by the prince.

Then there is the Chinese Srimpi dance. What distinguishes this dance is that the dancers wear typical Chinese clothes. Usually this one dance is performed at the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace.

Next up is the Srimpi Pamugrari dance, so named because the accompanying music uses the song of the flight attendant. For the weapon that is carried while dancing is a gun.

Reog Ponorogo a Traditional Dance that is Full of Meaning and Contains Mystical

Reog is a traditional dance in an open arena that serves as folk entertainment, contains magical elements, the main dancer is a lion-headed person with peacock feather decoration, plus several masked dancers and riding lumping. Reog is one of the cultural arts originating from the north-west of East Java and Ponorogo is considered to be the real hometown of Reog. The city gate of Ponorogo is decorated with warok and gemblak figures, two figures who also appear when Reog is shown. Reog is one of the regional cultures in Indonesia which is still very thick with mystical things and strong mysticism.

History of Reog Ponorogo

There are five versions of popular stories that developed in the community about the origin of Reog and Warok, but one of the most famous stories is the story of the rebellion of Ki Ageng Kutu, a royal servant during the time of Bhre Kertabhumi, the last King of Majapahit who ruled in the 15th century. Ki Ageng Kutu was angry with the strong influence of the wife of the Majapahit king who came from China, besides that he was angry with his king in a corrupt government, he also saw that the power of the Majapahit Kingdom would end. He then left the king and founded a college where he taught martial arts to young people, the science of immunity, and the science of perfection in the hope that these young people would be the seeds of the revival of the Majapahit kingdom again. Realizing that his army was too small to fight the royal army, Ki Ageng Kutu's political message was conveyed through the Reog art performance, which was a "satire" to King Kertabhumi and his kingdom. The Reog performance became Ki Ageng Kutu's way of building resistance from the local community using Reog's popularity.

In the Reog show, a mask shaped like a lion's head is displayed known as "Singa Barong", the king of the jungle, which became a symbol for Kertabhumi, and on top of which peacock feathers were planted to resemble a giant fan symbolizing the powerful influence of his Chinese comrades who ruled from above all movements. - he grunted. Jathilan, who is played by a group of gemblak dancers riding a piggyback, is a symbol of the strength of the Majapahit Kingdom's troops which is a contrast to the strength of the warok, who is behind the red clown mask which is the symbol for Ki Ageng Kutu, alone and supports the weight of the Lion Barong mask which reaches more than 50 kg using only his teeth. The popularity of Reog Ki Ageng Kutu finally caused Bhre Kertabhumi to take action and attack his college, the rebellion by the warok was quickly overcome, and the college was forbidden to continue teaching warok. However, Ki Ageng Flea's students continued to do it in secret. Even so, the Reog art itself is still allowed to be staged because it has become a popular show among the public, but the storyline has a new plot in which characters from the Ponorogo folklore are added, namely Klono Sewandono, Dewi Songgolangit, and Sri Genthayu.

The official version of the Reog Ponorogo storyline is now a story about King Ponorogo who intended to propose to the daughter of Kediri, Dewi Ragil Kuning, but on the way he was intercepted by King Singa Barong of Kediri. King Singa Barong's troops consisted of peacocks and lions, while from the Ponorogo Kingdom, King Klono and his deputy Bujang Ganong, were escorted by warok (men dressed in black in their dances), and these waroks possessed deadly black magic. The whole dance is a war dance between the Kingdom of Kediri and the Kingdom of Ponorogo, and pitting black magic between the two, the dancers are in a state of "possession" when performing the dance.

Until now, the people of Ponorogo have only followed what became their ancestral heritage as a very rich cultural heritage. In his experience, Reog Art is a human creation created by a belief system that has been passed down from generation to generation and maintained. The ceremony also uses conditions that are not easy for ordinary people to fulfill without a clear lineage. They adhere to parental lineage and customary law that still applies.

Reog Ponorogo Art Performance

Modern Reog is usually staged in several events such as weddings, circumcisions, and national holidays. The art of Reog Ponorogo consists of a series of 2 to 3 opening dances. The first dance is usually performed by 6–8 brave men dressed in all black, with their faces painted in red. The dancers depict the figure of a brave lion. Next is a dance performed by 6–8 girls on horseback. In traditional Reog, this dancer is usually played by gemblak, male dancers dressed as women. This dance is called the Jaran Kepang or Jathilan dance, which must be distinguished from other dance arts, namely the Kuda Lumping dance.

Another opening dance, if any, is usually a dance by a small child who brings a funny scene called Bujang Ganong or Ganongan.

After the opening dance is finished, the main scene is shown whose contents depend on the conditions in which Reog art is displayed. When it comes to marriage, what is shown is a love scene. A hero's story use to tell for khitanan's or sunatan's party.

Scenes in Reog art usually don't follow a well-organized scenario. There is always interaction between the performer and the puppeteer (usually the troupe leader) and sometimes with the audience. Sometimes a player who is playing can be replaced by another player if the player is tired. What is more important in Reog art performances is to give satisfaction to the audience.

The last scene is Singa Barong, where the actor wears a mask in the shape of a lion's head with a crown made of peacock feathers. The weight of this mask can reach 50-60 kg. This heavy mask is carried by the dancers with teeth. The ability to carry this mask is not only obtained with strenuous practice, but is also believed to be obtained through spiritual practices such as fasting and asceticism.

Characters in Reog  art

"Warok" which comes from the word wewarah is a person who has a holy determination, provides selfless guidance and protection. Warok is wong kang sugih wewarah (people who are rich in wewarah). That is, a person becomes a warok because he is able to give instructions or teach others about a good life. Warok iku wong kang wus pur saka sakabehing behavior, lan wus menep ing rasa (Warok is a person who is already perfect in his practice of life, and has arrived at inner settling).

Warok is a character/characteristic and soul of the people of Ponorogo which has been ingrained since ancient times which was passed down by ancestors to future generations. Warok is a part of the Reog art display that is inseparable from other displays in the Reog Ponorogo art unit. Warok is a person who truly masters knowledge both physically and mentally.

"Jathil" is a hussar and is one of the figures in the art of Reog. Jathilan is a dance that describes the agility of hussars who are training on horses. This dance is performed by dancers in which one dancer is paired with each other. Agility and skill in fighting on a horse is shown by the expression or spirit of the dancer.

Jathil was originally danced by gemblak, a man who was smooth, handsome or similar to a beautiful woman. The dance moves are more feminine. Since the 1980s, when the Reog Ponorogo art team was about to be sent to Jakarta for the opening of PRJ (Jakarta Fair), the jathilan dancers were replaced by female dancers on the grounds that they were more feminine. The characteristics of the impression of Jathilan dance movements in Reog Ponorogo art are more likely to be smooth, agile, and agile. This is supported by the rhythmic pattern of dance movements that alternate between mlaku (innocent) rhythms and ngracik rhythms.

"Bujang Ganong" or Patih Pujangga Anom is one of the characters who is energetic, funny as well as having expertise in martial arts so that in every appearance he is always demonstrated by 2 people in general who are always eagerly awaited by the audience, especially children. Bujang Ganong depicts the figure of a young patih who although physically tends to be ugly, but he is nimble, strong-willed, clever, witty, and powerful. Bujang Ganong's mask is red in color with characteristic bulging eyes, a large nose, and protruding teeth. The mask is made of dadap wood, while the hair on the mask is made of ponytail.

"Klono Sewandono" or Raja Klono is a powerful king of mandraguna who has a mainstay heirloom in the form of a very powerful whip called the Samandiman Whip wherever he goes the handsome and young King always carries the heirloom. The heirloom is used to protect himself. The valor of the King is depicted in a lively and authoritative dance movement, in a story Prabu Klono Sewandono succeeded in creating beautiful art as a result of his creativity to comply with the request of Putri (his lover). Because the King was intoxicated with love, his dance movements sometimes depicted a person in love.

"Singo Barong" is a figure and dancer with the head of a tiger decorated with a peacock and the most dominant in the art of Reog Ponorogo. The parts of the mask include; tiger's head (caplokan), made of a wooden frame, bamboo, rattan covered with the skin of a king tiger/Javanese tiger. Dada peacock, a skeleton made of bamboo and rattan as a place to arrange peacock feathers to depict a peacock developing its feathers and biting a string of beads. Krakap made of black velvet embroidered with monte, is an accessory and a place to write the identity of the Reog group. This peacock is about 2.25 meters long, 2.30 meters wide, and weighs almost 50 kilograms.

Kecak Dance, The Traditional Dance from Bali Indonesia

For those of you who have been on holiday in Bali or just looking for information about the tour in Bali, of course you will not be foreign anymore with Kecak Dance because information about this dance is very easy to get in every search engine available on the internet and usually in every information about Bali on the internet then information about kecak dance will certainly be found there. Kecak Dance became very popular for tourists visiting Bali since this dance was developed for commercial activities during the era of 1930'an, although far earlier in the royal period in Bali, Balinese dance can only be performed and watched at certain moments only when the activities of religion in pretense all over Bali.

Kecak dance is the most unique type of Balinese dance because it is not accompanied by a musical instrument or gamelan, but is accompanied by a choir by a group of male dancer totaling ± 70 people. Kecak dance comes from a sacred dance that is often called dance Sang Hyang is a dance that performed only for certain times during religious ceremonies. In the dance of Sang Hyang, dancers who are possessing spirits will communicate with the Gods or the ancestors who have been sanctified, through the media of the dancers the ancestors and the Gods will deliver his says. At the time of possession of spirits or possessions, dancers often perform acts that are beyond what they usually do, such as doing very dangerous movements or making voices that they never used before.

Read to : Kuta Beach, The Most Beautiful Beach in Bali Indonesia

What is Kecak Dance?

Kecak Dance is a traditional art of a typical dance art from Bali. The dance depicts the story of Pewayangan, especially the Ramayana story which is performed with the art of motion and dance. Kecak Dance is one of the most famous traditional art in Bali. In addition to the cultural heritage, Kecak Dance is also one of the attractions of tourists who come there.

The Origin of Kecak Dance

According to historical sources, this Kecak Dance was created in 1930 by Balinese artists Wayan Limbak and Walter Spies, a German painter. This dance is inspired by Sang Hyang rituals and parts of the Ramayana story. Sang Hyang ritual itself is a dance tradition where the dancers are in an unconscious condition and communicate with God or the spirits of the ancestors then convey his hopes to the community. Kecak Dance name itself is taken the word "cak .. cak .. cak" which is often shouted the members who surround the dancers, So this dance is known by the name of Kecak Dance.

Read to : Saman dance, a unique dance perfomed originated from Aceh Indonesia

Kecak Dance Show

In the show, the dance begins with the incense burning, then the entourage entourage enters the stage while echoing the word "cak .. cak .. cak". Then they form a circular line, which in the middle is used for dancing. In this Kecak Dance show the dancers play the plays in the Ramayana story, such as Rama, Shinta, Rahwana, and other characters. Movement in this dance is not too fixated on grip, so that the dancers are more flexible in moving and focus on the story only. Sometimes there are also some funny scenes that are danced by the dancers. In addition, some attractive scenes are also displayed such as fire games and other attractions. this is what makes Kecak Dance has a sacred impression but also entertaining.

Dance Kecak Companion

Kecak Dance is one of the art of dance drama that is very unique. In contrast to the arts in general, in the Kecak Dance show does not use any musical instrument. Kecak Dance is only accompanied by the sound of shouting members who surround the dancers and the sound of rattle tied at the feet of the dancers. For members of the voice assistant usually consists of 50 people or more. In the companion member is also composed of members who served as, tone control, soloist, and Dalang that set the course of the story.

Kecak Dance Clothes

In the show dancers use the costume in accordance with the plays he played. This costume is almost the same as Wayang Wong, but with a typical Balinese style. While the accompanist usually only use black pants and black-and-white plaid fabric. In addition, some accessories like flowers are tucked in one of their ears.

Kecak Dance Development

Besides as a cultural heritage, Kecak Dance becomes one of the attractions for the tourists who come there. In Bali alone almost all regions have their own Kecak Dance Group. In its development, Kecak Dance is also experienced development, both in terms of performances, the number of dancers, stories and plays played. This is done as an effort of the artists to make Kecak Dance more popular and known by the public.

A lot of introduction about "Traditional Dance of Kecak dance from Bali". Hopefully useful and increase your knowledge about the variety of traditional arts in Indonesia.

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Saman Dance, a Unique Dance Perfomed Originated from Aceh Indonesia

Saman Dance is a typical Gayo tribe dance performed to celebrate important events in adat. Poetry in saman dance using Gayo Language. In addition, this dance is usually performed to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW. In some literature the saman dance in Aceh was established and developed by Syekh Saman, a scholar from Gayo in Southeast Aceh. Saman Dance was set by UNESCO as the List of Intellectual Cultural Heritage Representative in the 6th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of UNESCO No objects in Bali, 24 November 2011.

Meaning and Function

Saman Dance is one of the media for message achievement (da'wah). This dance reflects education, religion, manners, heroism, cohesiveness and togetherness.

Before the saman starts as a mukaddimah or opening, a clever older or adat leader represents the local community (keketar) or useful advice to the performers and the audience.

Songs and verses of the disclosure together and continuous, the players consist of men who are still young by wearing custom clothing. The presentation of the dance can also be performed, contested between the group of guests with a group of two (two groups). Assessment focuses on the ability of each group to follow the motion, dance and song (syair) presented by the opponent.

Choir

Saman dance is usually performed not using musical accompaniment, but using the sounds of the dancers and their applause are usually combined by beating their chest and groin as a synchronization and flung the body in different directions. This dance is guided by a leader who is commonly called a sheikh. Because uniformity of formation and timeliness is a must in performing this dance, the dancers are required to have high concentration and serious training in order to perform perfectly. This dance is especially danced by men.

In ancient times, this dance was performed in a certain customary event, among them in a ceremony commemorating the day of the Prophet Muhammad's mawlid. In addition, especially in contemporary contexts, the dance is also performed at official occasions, such as visits of guests between districts and countries, or in the opening of a festival and other events.

Song

The singing of the dancers adds to the dynamism of the saman dance. How to sing songs in the dance saman divided into 5 kinds:

1. Rengum, which is the roar that begins with the lifter.
2. Ringing, which is a rattle immediately followed by all dancers.
3. Redet, which is a short song with a short voice sung by a dancer in the middle of the dance.
4. The shaykh, a song sung by a dancer in a high-pitched voice, usually as a sign of change of motion.
5. Saur, a song repeated together by all dancers after being sung by a solo dancer.

Movement

Saman dance uses two elements of motion that became the basic element in saman dance, namely applause and chest. Allegedly, while spreading Islam, Syekh Saman studied ancient Malay dance, then brought back through the motion accompanied by Islamic da'wah poems for the sake of enslaving his da'wah. In contemporary context, this religious ritual dance is still used as a medium to convey messages da'wah through performances.

Saman dance is one of the most unique dances, because it only displays the movements of other movements of applause, such as shaking, kirep, lingang, sap-filter (all of this movement using the Gayo language)

Dancer

In general, saman dance is played by dozens or dozens of men, but the number must be odd. Another opinion said the dance was danced by more than 10 people, with details of 8 dancers and 2 people as a giver of cue while singing. However, in the development of the modern era that requires that a dance will be more vibrant when danced by a number of dancers. To organize various movements, a leader called a sheikh was appointed. In addition to arranging the movements of the dancers, sheikh also served to sing samanir samanir saman song, namely ganit.