Javanese dance
Shinta
Javanese Ramayana Wayang Wong dance performance,
Prambanan.
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 kraton, such as theBedhaya 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.
Types of Javanese Dance
Javanese dancer,
1885
Javanese dance reflects the
stratified hierarchy of Javanese society, and roughly can be identified within
two mainstream of traditions:
- Tari kraton (palace dances)
- Tari kawulo (commoner dances)
Tari Kraton
The courtly Javanese palace dance
is the type of dances that developed, nurtured and fostered by Javanese
Kratons, mainly Yogyakarta Sultanate and Surakarta Sunanate,
the patrons of Javanese Mataram culture. Javanese sultans are known as the patron and the creator of
Javanese court dances.
Kraton dances employs sets of
rules about certain dance movements, body and hand gestures that requires
discipline to learn.Gamelan
orchestra is the prerequisite for Javanese court dance performances as well as
for other Javanese art forms such as Wayang performances. The serene elegance, slow pace and
constrains of its movements gave Javanese dance a meditative traits. Javanese
court dances were heavily influenced by Javanese Hindu-Buddhist legacy. As the result the costumes,
jewelry and story, often reflects or based on Hindu epic tales of
Ramayana and Mahabarata.
There are three basic types of
courtly Javanese kraton dance:
Beksan putra – These are the dances for men, which serve two purposes:
a military close-order drill and highlighting martial skills. Dancers may learn
beksan putra dances to familiarize themselves with the movements for narrative
dances.
- Beksan putri – Putri is the Javanese word for female, and these dances include courtly dances designed for royal events with very precise movements and distinct staging with subtle layers of meaning. Such dances were often used for entertainment or courtship.
- Beksan wayang – These are narrative dances from epic poems, and usually are named after the characters in them, usually an alus-style hero and a gagah-style villain.
Tari Kawulo
Also known as "Tari
Rakyat", is the popular dances of the commoner. This is the type of
Javanese dances that developed in villages or cities that located relatively
quite far from Javanese kratons as the center of Javanese palace culture.
Kawulo dances is lack in Javanese courtly dance discipline, constraints, and
refinements. This type of dance relatively more open and adaptive to foreign
influences.
Several dance is functioned as
courtship or social dance, such as Ronggeng, Gandrung and Tayub, while others as celebratory dances
such as Reog and Kuda Lumping. The movement of social dances, such as ronggeng and tayub are somewhat
more vigorous and erotic, closely related to Sundanese Jaipongan. Because of this erotic nuances, this
type of dance often gained shady reputation as the dance of the prostitutes.
References
- http://en.wikipedia.org
- Brakel-Papenhuyzen, Clara (1995)Classical Javanese Dance Leiden KITLV Press ISBN 90-6718-053-X
- Soedarsono (1984) Wayang Wong Yogyakarta Gadjah Mada University Press
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