Embodiment, Balinese Theatre and the Ethnographer's Predicament (original) (raw)
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Embodiment, Balinese Dance Theatre and the Ethnographer's Predicament
I had carved three Topeng bondres 1 masks. My recollection of how this was achieved is now rather dim, but I suspect that mask maker and teacher Ida Bagus Alit had a large hand in the accomplishment. My masks were at the temple in Lodtunduh waiting to be blessed and, as a part of the temple Odalan, 2
Towards the embodiment of the mask Balinese topeng in contemporary practice
2007
Towards the Embodiment of the Mask. Balinese Topeng in Contemporary Practice. This thesis explores the process of mask characterisation in Bali as expressed in performances and in the views of individuals. The polyphony of voices of performers, officials, cultural analysts and village audiences gives multifarious expression to a sense of cultural identity. This identity is in continuous flux, as topeng masked dance drama reflects the way in which Bali itself is changing in the contemporary world. Starting with an analysis of the performative principles of masked dance-drama practice, with each chapter I analyse a broader context of the relationship between these basic performative principles and daily life. The performers' voices interweave with written discourse on Balinese culture, depicted as in increasing need of protection. Balinese culture (and dance as one of its manifestations) has had to be protected by separating what is truly linked to Balinese tradition (mainly based on religion) from what is not. The separation, at discourse level, has created two domains; one sacred, fixed and exclusively Balinese, and one profane, flexible and able to be "contaminated" through interaction with the outside world. II the help of Maria Flutsch who generously assisted with editing, even at an enormously busy time in her life. Thank you to Pam Allen for her collaboration in research related to and the checking of Chapter III, to Brian Belcher for proof reading and Emily Willams and Graham Wood for last-minute corrections. This thesis could not be written in the way it is, or perhaps at all, without my supervisor, Professor Barbara Hatley. Barbara has encouraged me by believing in my ideas and patiently working to help me shape them into concrete form, with all the difficulties of my not being a native English speaker. She selected me for a special scholarship (thanks, too, to the University of Tasmania), supported me during the emotional ups and downs, and shared the special features of living in Launceston and making things happen in spite of everything. vi
In this article I focus on the performance practices of one of Sumatra's little-known mask varieties, that of sakura theater, performed in the southernmost province of Lampung. I also draw attention to four other Sumatran mask types, namely, those used in funeral ceremonies of the Karo Batak in North Sumatra, mak yong theater of Bintan, gobang ritual of the Anambas islands, and mendu theater of Natuna. In order to gain a greater understanding of the Sumatran mask images and to illuminate their use in performance, I first trace the history of Sumatran mask design, sourcing relevant iconographical and archeological data dating back to the migrations to the island in the Dongson era (500– 1000 bce) and the subsequent Hindu-Buddhist period (first to fourteenth centuries ce). The masks' facial features and their functions in Lampung personify animals, gods, demons, and humans and resemble carvings of supernatural beings on Buddhist temple remains throughout Sumatra. The ancestors are believed to have traveled along South Sumatra's and Lampung's extensive river system to Skala Brak in West Lampung along the southwestern Bukit Barisan mountain range, bringing with them their cultures and artistic skills. Moreover, the later interethnic contact between southern Sumatrans and the Benanek Dayak community in Kalimantan may have influenced the designs of the masks, given the similarities between them in the two areas. Today Lampung sakura masking in its various forms, dating back to the pre-Hindu-Buddhist period in Skala Brak, takes place in mystical healing and village cleansing ceremonies, at pole-climbing festivals, and in street processions on the Muslim feast day of Idul Fitri. As an indirect means of affecting the people's mindset, sakura processional performance practices and their allure affirm the Lampung worldview. Karen Kartomi Thomas is an adjunct senior research fellow in the Performance Research Unit, Centre for Theatre and Performance at Monash University. Her primary research projects focus on theater in Sumatra, including the Riau Islands.
Yoga & Yadnya in Balinese Masked Dance
Tari Topeng, or masked dance, is among the oldest forms of ceremonial dance theater on the island of Bali, Indonesia. Historical chronicles show its emergence in the tenth century for religious ceremonies. Colorful penari topeng, such as Bapak I Made 'Cat' Suteja, are invited to perform at Balinese Hindu ceremonies as a part of ritual work or socio-religious service known as ngayah. In the Indian yogic traditions, this mindset is paralleled in the yajna spirit or 'spirit of selfless service', as termed by Swami Chinmayananda. Previous scholarship showed that topeng and wayang theater bring mythical history and folklore alive to contemporary audiences, gently conveying ancestral teachings, cultural, and ethical values. These seniman, or traditional artists, are steeped in a background of folklore, philosophy, religious practice, and artistry underlying their performances. This memoir-like report aims to show that tari topeng and traditional mode of instruction are also rich modes of embodied wisdom. Masked dance is a Balinese form of yogic practice, and the teachings and teacher can result in the personal growth of the practitioner. Its practitioners know the value of learning to unite 'menyatukan' his or her body and mind. Through expansion of awareness, the dancer practices harmonizing with the 'world' as the stage, musicians, audience, and God. Observing the similarities of Balinese culture with the darshana 'views' of Yogic Tantric, Vedantic, and Buddhist thought, Monali Varaiya studied tari topeng with I Made 'Cat' Suteja in Batuan, Bali, translated folklore depicted through this performance mode, began study of Old Javanese literature, and researched Balinese Hindu religion as a participant-observer during field research from June 2019-May 2020. In her observation, Balinese masked dance is a laboratory of karma yoga, yadnya, and tantric visualization practice where the practitioner learns to unite his or her body, antahkarana (inner instruments), or bayu-sabda-idep (broadly energy/movement, voice, and thought). He or she learns to purify the mind and work in a spirit of offering (yadnya or ngayah) for Divinity and people. Finally, the dancer practices embodying various roles, which parallels Hindu thought about playing roles in life with objectivity. Themes of samadhi, yadnya, yoga, and the niskala world which appear in Topeng Panca plays about Bali's kings of old are also paralleled in earlier Sanskrit and Old Javanese literature. This report will show similarities between the Indic yogic traditions Balinese performing arts.
Enchanting the Audience: Dramatic Devices of Sakura Mask Theatre in West Lampung, Sumatra
Sakura is a little-known ancient genre of masked theatre found in the Indonesian prov- ince of Lampung in southern Sumatra. In his 2010 performance of sakura, artist I Nyoman Mulyawan showcased his series of “new dance creations” in the style of the coastal Saibatin people. The multiplicity of performance devices and traditional motifs generated an allure that instantly captivated his large village audiences. The stage dynamics, masks, procession as allegory for spiritual journey, auspicious betel nut poles, and rhythmic and ritualistically charged music of the orchestra, were artfully integrated to enchant Mulyawan’s audience.
Women in Balinese Topeng: Voices, Reflections, and Interactions
Asian Theatre Journal, 2015
This paper charts the increasing involvement of women performers in Balinese topeng (mask dance) and emerged from discussions and emails among the authors. Following an overview explaining women's traditional absence from this form and noting the pioneering women who have been at the forefront of change, the authors discuss how, as non-Balinese female performers and researchers, they discovered that they shared many similar stories, curiosities, and challenges relating to their training and experiences. Their insights provide a detailed picture of some important issues for women in Asian theatre. Margaret Coldiron is a London-based theatre director, performer, teacher and specialist in masks. She performs Balinese music and dance with Gamelan Lila Cita and Lila Bhawa Indonesian Dance Company and is the associate director of Thiasos, a theatre company specializing in intercultural productions of ancient Greek plays. Her publications include Trance and Transformation of the Masked Actor in Japanese Noh and Balinese Dance Drama (2004) and articles and reviews in Asian Theatre Journal, New Theatre Quarterly, Indonesia and the Malay World, and Women and Performance. She is currently the deputy head of the BA in World Performance Program at East 15 Acting School, University of Essex. Born in Sicily, trained in Bali, and currently based in Tasmania (Australia), Car-mencita Palermo is a researcher, writer, and performer who focuses on Indonesian masked dance performance and mask embodiment cross-culturally. Her performance and teaching practices explore the dynamics of interaction between body, masks, music, audience, and environment in different cultural contexts, with particular attention to the roles and perspectives of women. She has performed and taught in Australia, Indonesia, Europe, and Brazil. Tiffany Strawson is a performing artist, researcher, and dramaturg who makes performances in site-and culture-specific contexts. She is undertaking doctoral research on the embodiment of Balinese topeng mask in a posttraditional, women-centered, and intercultural context-exploring notions of presence, translation, and the relationship between movement and ritual. In 2007 she initiated the Bali Unmasked project, which
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Arts and Arts Education (ICAAE 2020), 2021
Tari Topeng or mask dance is a long-standing art heritage in Indonesia, because it functions and serves as an essential element in the life of the community where it belongs, specifically for the society in Cirebon, West Java, in performing traditional rituals and one of those mask dances is Topeng Panji of Cirebon dance. This dance depicts a pure human being born with no sins. Therefore, this dance is usually performed in traditional ceremonies such as Ngunjung Buyut (visiting the graves of the deceased ancestors) and Mapag Sri (the harvest ceremony). As time goes by, the Topeng Panji mask dance has evolved into a dance for entertainment for the Cirebon community. The increase and decrease of the frequency of the performances for this dance have been influenced by the development of society as information technology also develops.
THE INDIGENOUS PERFORMING ARTS IN A SUMATRAN PROVINCE: REVIVAL OF SAKURA MASK THEATER, 1990–2012
Due to a vast transmigration program instituted by the Dutch from 1905 and persisting under the Indonesian government from the 1950s to the present, the ulun Lampung (indigenous Lampung people), comprising just 13 percent of the total population of Lampung province in Sumatra, have for decades remained a forgotten and neglected minority in their own province. The indigenous Lampung performing arts illuminate this social problem as demonstrated by the topic of this article—sakura masked theater performed by the Saibatin ethnic group living in Lampung’s mountainous northwest. Unlike the performing arts in Java and other parts of Indonesia, which were largely regulated by the national arts’ policies of Depdikbud (Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Ministry of Education and Culture) out of the national capital, Jakarta, the history of sakura masking has been determined by the marginalization of the ulun Lampung via the century-old transmigration program; this has resulted in their social stigmatization, perpetuated by communities of pendatang (newcomers). Reviving the arts was to take place through a program of promoting the Lampung philosophy of pi’il pesenggiri (self-respect) by drawing on components of traditional hospitality, including bestowing Lampung titles at traditional ceremonies on both guests visiting—and immigrants residing in—the province. This program was initiated by the current ulun Lampung governor not long after his appointment in 2003, and continues to be implemented today.