| Wayang wong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Types | Traditional |
| Originating culture | Indonesia (Javanese andBalinese) |
| Wayang | |
|---|---|
| Country | Indonesia |
| Reference | 00063 |
| Region | Asia and the Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2008 (3rd session) |
| List | Representative |
| Wayang wong |
|---|
|
| Burma |
| Cambodia |
| Indonesia |
|
| Laos |
| Malaysia |
| Philippines |
| Singapore |
| Thailand |
|
| Vietnam |
Wayang wong (Javanese:ꦮꦪꦁꦮꦺꦴꦁ(in thengoko register)),[1] also known aswayang orang (lit. 'human-formwayang'), is a type of classicalJavanese andBalinese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of theRamayāna orMahabharāta. Performances are stylised, reflecting Javanese court culture:
Wayang wong dance drama in the central JavaneseKraton (royal court) ofYogyakarta represents the epitome of Javanese aesthetic unity. It is total theatre involving dance, drama, music, visual arts, language, and literature. A highly cultured sense of formality permeates every aspect of its presentation.[2]
Despite being closely associated withJavanese andBalinese tradition, variants ofwayang wong dance drama can also be found in neighboringJavanese ethnic traditions, includingSundanese tradition.
Thebas relief panels on the ninth-centuryPrambanan temple show episodes of theRamayana epic. The adaptation ofMahabharata episodes has been integrated in the Javanese literature tradition since theKahuripan andKediri era, with notable examples such asArjunawiwaha, composed by MpuKanwa in the 11th century. ThePenataran temple in East Java depicts themes from theRamayana andMahabharata in its bas reliefs. The Javanese dance drama associated withwayang's epic themes from theRamayana andMahabharata would have existed by then.
Wayang in Kawi (Old Javanese) means "shadow" andwong means "human".Wayang wong was a performance in the style ofwayang kulit (the shadow theatre of Central Java) wherein actors and actresses took the puppets' roles. The first written reference to the form is on the stone inscription Wimalarama from East Java dated 930 CE.[3] The genre is currently done in masked and unmasked variations in Central Java, Bali, and Cirebon, as well as in Sunda (West Java).[4]
Wayang wong is closely associated withJavanese culture. Originally, it was performed only as an aristocratic entertainment in the four palaces ofYogyakarta,Pakualaman,Surakarta, andMangkunegaran. In the course of time, it evolved into a popular and folk form as well. Javanesewayang wong performances are regularly staged on the Trimurti Ramayana open-air stage inPrambanan temple, compound asRamayana Ballet, Purawisata cultural hall in Yogyakarta, Sriwedari park inSolo, and alsoNgesti Pandawa inSemarang.
Other than in theJavanese dance tradition, the variants ofwayang wong dance drama can also be found in other traditions, including inBalinese andSundanese traditions.
Wayang wong Bali refers to aBalinese version ofwayang dance drama. Its contemporary presentation is usually included within thekecak dance, where fragments or episodes of theRamayana are performed amidst the chantingkecak dancers. However, a Balinesewayang wong version that does not includekecak dancers has also existed, especially in Ubud.Wayang wong Bali is usually associated withBuleleng District.[5]
Wayang wong Cirebon refers to a tradition ofwayang dance drama in the city ofCirebon, West Java. Cirebon has two styles ofwayang wong. The first is a commoners or village version in which the performers are masked. The second is a Cirebon palace variant where theperformers dance are unmasked. Cirebonesewayang wong developed at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and influenced thewayang wong Priangan by the end of that century.[4]
Wayang wong Priangan refers to aSundanese version ofwayang dance drama, developed in thePriangan region in the heartland of West Java.Wayang wong Priangan developed in the late nineteenth century, peaked in the regencies of Bandung, Sumedang, Garut and Sukabumi in the period before World War II, and receded by the late 1960s as audiences waned.[4] In the Sundanese tradition, the most prevalentwayang tradition iswayang golek, a wooden rod puppet performance. Nevertheless, thewayang-themed dance drama performance also exists, usually performed in Sundanesesandiwara traditional drama form.
Wayang gedog (lit. "maskedwayang"), another form ofwayang wong performance, is usually considered to be a cross betweenwayang wong and thetopeng dance. These performances take themes from thePanji cycle stories about the kingdom ofJanggala. Players wear masks known aswayang topeng orwayang gedog. The wordgedog comes fromkedok, which liketopeng means "mask". The main theme is a love story aboutPrincess Candra Kirana ofKediri andRaden Panji Asmarabangun, the crown prince of Janggala. Candra Kirana was the incarnation ofDewi Ratih (the Hindu goddess of love) and Panji was an incarnation ofKamajaya (the Hindu god of love). Candra Kirana's story has been given the title"Smaradahana" ("The fire of love"). At the end of the complicated story they finally marry and produce a son. Panji Asmarabangun ruled Janggala under the official names of "Sri Kameswara", "Prabu Suryowiseso", and "Hino Kertapati".
Wayang wong has fixed patterns of movement and costume:
For male performers:
For female performers:
The movements known asnggruda orngenceng encot in the classical high style of dance consist of nine basic movements (joged pokok) and twelve other movements (joged gubahan andjoged wirogo) and are used in performing thebedoyo andsrimpi.
Today, thewayang wong, following theGagrak style ofSurakarta, is danced by women. They follow thealus movements associated with akshatriya, resemblingArjuna. In theGagkra style from Yogyakarta, a male dancer uses these samealus movements to depict princes and generals. There are about 45 distinct character types.
Performances ofwayang wong are regularly staged in the Javanese cultural heartlands, the court cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo). The national capital Jakarta also stageswayang wong performances, although they are not always well-publicised.
A series of well-known dramatic monthly evening performances ofwayang wong from theRamayana is performed all year round at thePrambanan temple nearYogyakarta. The most completeRamayana wayang wong involving more than a hundred dancers, artists and gamelan musicians is performed only during the dry season (usually May to October) on a large, open-air stage with the Prambanan Trimurti temples as the background. During the monsoon rainy season, however, the performance is moved into a smaller indoor theatre nearby. In downtown Yogyakarta, on the eastern side ofKeraton Yogyakarta, theRamayana wayang wong is also performed every night, starting at 8 p.m. at Purawisata theatre, Jalan Brigjen Katamso, Yogyakarta.
Episodes from theMahabharata andRamayana are often performed daily in the Wayang Orang Sriwedari theatre in Sriwedari Cultural Park at Jalan Slamet Riyadi 275,Surakarta city, in Central Java. This daily performance starts at 8.15 p.m. every night, except on Sundays.
In Jakarta theWayang Orang Bharata group, one of the oldestwayang orang groups existing in Jakarta, generally stages performances in the Bharata Theatre just north ofPasar Senen near the centre of the city each Saturday night.[6] The Bharata Theatre, which seats around 300 people, was renovated with funds from the Jakarta city government in the early 2000s.[7] The performances are often based around stories of conflict between clans drawn from theMahabharata. Presentations involve traditional Javanese dancing, stylised fighting, and periods of dialogue, accompanied by music from a substantial gamelan orchestra.[8] Actors representing the well-knownPunokawan clowns, including the much-lovedSemar, usually involve themselves in the action, often poking considerable fun at the self-important lives that the princes and high-born warriors lead.[9] Ticket prices are relatively modest, with even the best seats in the Bharata Theatre generally costing (early 2013) less than $US 10 per person.
Other than the weeklywayang wong performances of Bharata in the Senen area, Jakarta has sometimes staged special annualwayang orang performances inGedung Kesenian Jakarta near Pasar Baru in Central Jakarta,Taman Ismail Marzuki, or in Gedung Pewayangan Kautaman, nearTaman Mini Indonesia Indah. These are not routine performances; schedules should be inquired about in advance at those theatres. There are severalwayang wong troupes in Jakarta, such as Swargaloka, Senawangi, Puspobudoyo and Sekar Budaya Nusantara.
Wayang wong performances are sometimes aired on television, such as onTVRI andWorld of Wayang onKompas TV.
Media related toWayang wong at Wikimedia Commons
| ||
| Acehnese |      | |
|---|---|---|
| Balinese | ||
| Banjarese | ||
| Batak | ||
| Betawi | ||
| Buginese and Makassarese | ||
| Cirebonese | ||
| Dayak | ||
| Javanese | ||
| Lampung | ||
| Malay | ||
| Minangkabau | ||
| Minahasan | ||
| Palembangese | ||
| Sasak | ||
| Sundanese | ||
| Timorese | ||
| Moluccan and Papuan | ||
.svg)
