Javanese dance is a form of dance and art created and influenced by Javanese culture. The movements in Javanese dance are regular, calm, and smooth. However, in a broader sense, Javanese dance also includes dances from ordinary people and Javanese villagers such as ronggeng, tayub, reog, and Kuda Lumping dances.
Types of Javanese dance
- Gambiong Dance
Gambyong dance is a dance from Central Java which is the development of Tayub Dance. Gambyong comes from the name of the Tayub Dance dancer who was invited by Sri Sunan Pakubuwana to create a welcoming dance.
Gambyong dance is often used as a welcome guest and as entertainment. This dance depicts joy. In addition, this traditional dance is also used as a means of ritual agricultural ceremonies for rice fertility.
Serat Centhini, a book written during the reigns of Pakubuwana IV (1788-1820) and Pakubuwana V (1820-1823), has referred to the existence of gambyong as a tlèdhèk dance. Furthermore, one of the dance stylists during the reign of Pakubuwana IX (1861-1893) named K.R.M.T. Wreksadiningrat worked on this folk dance so that it was appropriate to be performed among the nobles or aristocrats. This refined folk dance became popular and according to Nyi Bei Mardusari, an artist who was also the concubine of Sri Mangkunegara VII (1916-1944), gambyong was usually performed at that time in front of guests at the Mangkunegaran Palace.
An important change occurred when in 1950, Nyi Bei Mintoraras, a dance coach from the Mangkunegaran Palace during the Mangkunegara VIII period, created a “standardized” version of gambyong, known as Gambyong Pareanom. This choreography was first performed at the wedding ceremony of Gusti Nurul, sister of MN VIII, in 1951. This dance was liked by the public, giving rise to other versions that were developed for public consumption.
- Beksan Wireng Dance
The Beksan Wireng dance originates from Central Java, to be precise, Kasunanan Surakarta or now better known as the City of Solo. This dance comes from the word beksan which means dance and wiring which comes from a combination of the words wira (officer) and aeng (superior soldier).
History
Beksan Wireng dance has existed since the 11th century or during the Jenggala-Kediri kingdom. The existence of this Beksan Wireng dance is indeed present in various fibers including Fiber Centhini, Fiber Sastramiruda, Fiber Weddataya, and Fiber Kridhwayangga.
In Chentini fiber and Kridhwayangga fiber, Panji Inukertapati who has the title Prabu Suryamisesa, but in Centhini fiber he calls it Suryawisesa.
Fiber Chentini and Panji are known for being proficient or good at dancing, having a melodious voice when singing, proficient in playing the gamelan and also good at telling stories.
This happened when Panji ruled in 1145 ago and the people began to learn and understand dance and song.
The Beksan Wireng dance was created by Prabu Amiluhur with the aim of making his son active in the army by using weapons of war and love for the country.
The purpose of creating this Beksan Wireng Dance is to encourage the four war soldiers. In addition, so that they are more proficient or agile in fighting in the kingdom.
In short, this Beksan Wireng Dance only describes the practice of soldiering and fighting, but no one loses or wins.
This Beksan Wireng dance comes from the words Wira and ‘Aeng’ which means the superior warrior, the ‘aeng’, the ‘linuwih’.
So, it can be concluded that the word ‘Wira’ means a superior and lithe warrior.
- Gambir Anom Dance
The next dance from Central Java is the Gambir Anom dance. This dance comes from Surakarta. Historically, this dance has become one of the traditional dances that are often performed at the Keraton with the aim of welcoming dignitaries.
Some of his movements depict the figure of a puppet character named Irawan Putra Arjuna who himself falls in love with a woman. So that initially this dance was performed by men, but now the dance is performed by women.
The historical record of the gambir anom dance is still not much clear data from historians and artists. However, traditional dance art is believed to have existed during the Surakarta Sunanate and the Yogyakarta Sultanate.
At that time, gambir anom became one of the dance arts that was widely displayed in the palace environment as a dance to welcome the great guests.
Gambir anom dance from Central Java depicts Irawan who is the son of the puppet character Arjuna. In addition, this dance will usually be performed by male dancers, because it cannot be separated from the story contained in every movement.
Although at first this dance was performed by male dancers singly, but during its development, this dance was often performed by female dancers.
This is due to the increasingly rapid development of modernization, so it is rare for young people to have the will to preserve this dance.
Besides being functioned as a means of entertainment, this classical gambir anom dance also provides a message for youth about romance in adolescence. In addition, the Gambir Anom dance is a dance that has existed since the days of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom.
- Prawirogono Dance
This dance describes the situation of war conditions in the colonial period. The dynamic dance movements of the Central Java region with clothes like being in war because they are equipped with shield or spear properties.
Prawirogono dance was created after the colonial period in Indonesia ended. This dance has the theme of heroism and heroism, tells the story of the atmosphere of war between the Indonesian people and the invaders where in this case the invaders have experienced a setback and will be defeated.
Because this dance has a war theme, the movements of the Prawiroguno dancers are like a soldier carrying a sword/samurai with a shield with swaying movements as if preparing to attack the enemy.
There are 3 important criteria that must be followed by dancers when performing Prawiroguno Dance, namely Wiraga, Wirama, and Wirasa. Wiraga means movement of all the limbs in harmony. Wirama is an aspect of dance related to rhythm or accompaniment. While Wirasa is an appreciation of a dance.
There are 6 core movements contained in the Prawiroguno Dance, namely forward beksan, beksan, sekaran, waran, sekaran, and backward beksan. Maju Beksan is the opening movement in the dance, while backwards Beksan is the closing movement. The core movement in dance that describes the events of war is in the war section.
- Srimpi Dance
Srimpi dance is a classical Javanese dance that has a royal feel. Only displayed for a certain time. Because Srimpii dance was originally only performed in front of the king and royal relatives.
This dance has been found since the days of the Mataram kingdom. This dance serves as a dance accompaniment at royal ceremonies. The religious nature of this dance is related to its duty as a carrier of sacred objects belonging to the kingdom.
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 which symbolizes the pillar of the pavilion.[13] 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.
- Jathilan Dance
The next Central Javanese dance is the Jathilan dance. This dance serves as a spectacle. This dance movement imitates the movement of a deer.
Jathil is a hussar and is one of the figures in the art of Reog. Jathil 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 men who were smooth, handsome or similar to beautiful women.[3] 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.
- Bedaya Dance
Bedaya dance comes from the palace. This dance from Central Java is performed by 9 female dancers who are likened to an angel dancing.
There are several legends that reveal the formation of this dance. Once upon a time, Sultan Agung Hanyakrakusuma, who ruled the Sultanate of Mataram from 1613-1645, was performing a ritual of meditation. It is said that in silence the king heard the sound of tetembangan (humming) from the direction of the Tawang or the sky. Sultan Agung was amazed by the hum. As soon as he finished his meditation, Sultan Agung summoned his four companions, namely Panembahan Purbaya, Kyai Panjang Mas, Prince Karang Gayam II, and Tumenggung Alap-Alap. Sultan Agung expressed his inner testimony to them. Inspired by a supernatural experience he experienced, Sultan Agung himself created a dance which was later named Bedhaya Ketawang. According to another version, it is also narrated that in his hermitage, Panembahan Senapati met and made love to Ratu Kencanasari or also known as Kangjeng Ratu Kidul who later became the forerunner of this dance.
After the Giyanti Agreement in 1755, Pakubuwana III and Hamengkubuwana I distributed the Mataram Sultanate’s inheritance, which partly belonged to the Surakarta Sunanate and the other part to the Yogyakarta Sultanate. In the end, the Bedhaya Ketawang Dance became the property of the Surakarta palace, and in its development until now the Bedhaya Ketawang Dance is still performed during the coronation and commemoration of Sunan Surakarta’s ascension to the throne.
- Gandrung Dance
Gandrung dance, this dance is very popular and is played in pairs, which symbolizes harmony. Male dancers wear clothes that symbolize knights such as Gatot Kaca.
Banyuwangi’s gandrung art emerged at the same time as the “Tirtagondo” (Tirta Arum) forest was cleared to build the capital city of Balambangan to replace Pangpang (Ulu Pangpang) on the initiative of the first regent of Banyuwangi, Mas Alit who was inaugurated on February 2, 1774 in Ulu Pangpang. Thus, among others, told by the old Banyuwangi elders.
Regarding the origin of gandrung art, Joh Scholte in his paper, among others, wrote the following: Originally a young man named MARSAN traveled to the villages with musicians who played drums and flew and as a reward they were given a gift of rice which they carried in a bag. . (Gandrung Van Banyuwangi 1926, Chapter “Gandrung Men”).
What Joh Scholte wrote is not much different from the story that has been passed down from generation to generation, that gandrung was originally performed by a man named marsan (the first gandrung dancer) who brought drums and some tambourines (flying). They go around every day visiting places inhabited by the remnants of the people of the eastern Belambangan (today includes Banyuwangi Regency) whose number is said to be around five thousand people, as a result of the war, namely the invasion of the Company assisted by Mataram and Madura in 1767. to seize Belambangan from the power of Mangwi, until the end of the sadistic, vicious and brutal Bayu war was won by the Company on October 11, 1772. It is said that the number of people who died, fled, were taken prisoner, lost their forest indefinitely or were thrown away by the Company. more than sixty thousand souls. While the rest who live about five thousand people live abandoned with very poor conditions scattered in the villages, in the interior, many even take refuge in the forests, consisting of parents, widows and children who do not again have parents. (already orphaned) and besides that there are also those who fled away to other countries. Like to Bali, Mataram, Madura and so on.
After the show gandrung received some kind of reward from the residents who could afford it in the form of rice or other crops and so on. In fact, what appears as a reward is a donation which will later be distributed to those who are in a very poor condition in being evacuated and in dire need of assistance, whether they are displaced in the countryside, in the interior, or who survive in the forests with all their suffering even though the war is over. .
Regarding those who insisted on living in the forest in such a deplorable condition, C. Lekerkerker wrote of several incidents after Bayu was destroyed by the Company’s onslaught on October 11, 1772, among others as follows; On November 7, 1772, a total of 2505 men and women had surrendered to the Company, Van Wikkerman said that Schophoff had ordered the drowning of the male captive who was accused of instigating the amok and who had eaten the flesh from Van Schaar’s corpse. It is also said that the Madurese have taken the women and children as a result of the war. Some of those who managed to escape into the forest had died from the misery they had endured. So that the air caused by the rotting corpses to a great distance. Others live in forests such as; Pucang Kerep, Kali Agung, Evening and so on. And they insisted on staying in the forest with all their suffering.
Thanks to the emergence of gandrung which is used as a tool of struggle and which every time often holds performances by visiting places inhabited by the remnants of the people who live scattered in the countryside, in the interior and even those who still live in the forests with their condition. Which is a concern, then they want to return to their original village to start forming a new life or some of them participate in clearing the Tirta Arum forest, which then lives in the new capital city which was built on the initiative of Mas Alit. After completion, the newly built capital city was known as Banyuwangi in accordance with the connotation of the name of the chronicled forest (Tirta-arum). From this information, it is clear that the purpose of the birth of this art was to save the remnants of the people who had been massacred by the Company and to rebuild the eastern part of Belambangan, which had been devastated by the Company’s invasion (which currently covers the Banyuwangi Regency).
The first known female Gandrung in history was Gandrung Semi, a small child who was ten years old at that time in 1895. According to a story that is believed, at that time Semi was suffering from a fairly severe disease. Everything has been done to the shaman, but Semi has not recovered. So that Semi’s mother (Mak Midhah) made a vow like “Kadhung sira sane, sun dhadekaken Seblang, kadhung sing yo sing” (When you get better, I will make you Seblang, otherwise you don’t). As it turned out, finally Semi recovered and was made a slang as well as starting a new chapter by dancing passionately by women.
According to historical records, gandrung was first danced by men dressed like women and, according to a Scholte report (1927), the main instrument that accompanied this gandrung lanang dance was the kendang. By that time, the violin had been used. However, this male gandrung gradually disappeared from Banyuwangi around the 1890s, allegedly because Islamic teachings forbid all forms of transvestism or dressing up like women. However, the new male gandrung dance completely disappeared in 1914, after the death of its last dancer, Marsan.
According to a number of sources, the birth of Gandrung was intended to entertain forest loggers, accompanying a ceremony of congratulations, related to the clearing of haunted forests.
The Gandrung tradition carried out by Semi was then followed by his younger sisters by using the first name Gandrung as his stage name. This art then continues to grow throughout Banyuwangi and becomes a local icon. At first gandrung could only be danced by the descendants of dancers.