• Reog: The Peacock and The Tiger Dance in Ponorogo

    The land around Ponorogo is harsh and fierce. Dry, rocky land stretches from Mount Wilis in the west of the province of East Java, down to the wild coastlines of the south. Scratching a living from the soil here has always been a desperate business, and the people of the area have a reputation for being tough, both physically and mentally. The myths and stories of Java describe them as fierce fighters and skilled practitioners of magic, to be feared and respected. While most inhabitants of this arid land profess faith in Islam, echoes of much older beliefs still ring throughout the region.

    Belief in spirits is still commonplace. Traditionally, a Reog performance was held to please the dhanyang, the spirit of a village.These spirits often live in large stones or old trees in a village square, although the outsider may notice nothing except perhaps a few flowers and sticks of incense scattered nearby. Although by no means evil, these spirits can be vain and difficult, and must be approached with respect. If flattered and pandered to, they will exert their power for the good of the village. If they feel ignored or insulted, however, the consequences can be dire. When a village is afflicted by bad luck, a ceremony to appease the dhanyang is held. Ceremonies are also held at regular intervals, just to maintain a good working relationship with the forces that count in the supernatural world.

    As part of the ceremony, members of each household prepare offerings consisting ofmountains of yellow rice, fruit, vegetables, and chicken. These offerings are laid out in the square of the village for the enjoyment of the dhanyang. The dhanyang consumes the essence of the food, leaving the remainder to be eaten in a communal meal.

    All throughout the day, members of the village will have been finding excuses to gather in the square. Vendors come from nearby towns tooffer such treats as sate and bakso, and young people take full advantage of the unusual freedom to mingle with members of the opposite sex. Usually, from early morning, a gamelan ensemble will have been playing a dull, hypnotic rhythmic music that gets under the skin of the listener the way drums from the Congo do. As the heat of the day gathers force, people's excitement begins to mount.

    Finally, a group of men wearing the traditional loose black clothes characteristic of the area emerge, bearing a mask depicting aferocious, snarling, tiger's head, covered in real tiger skin and crowned with a gigantic fan of peacock feathers. This mask often weighs more than fifty kilograms, and can cost many thousands ofdollars.

    The tempo of the music increases as the men prepare themselves fortheir task. Most of the performers are strong men in the prime ofyouth. They need to be. Throughout the dance, the principle dancer bears the entire weight of the mask by biting into a piece ofwood attached to it. Throughout the gyrations and acrobatics that hemust perform, he supports the weight with the strength of his jaw. Dancers complain that they can only eat porridge for days afterwards.

    The classical form of Reog re-enacts the battle between King Pujangga Anom of Ponorogo and Singabarong, the guardian spirit of Lodaya, whose emblems are the peacock and the tiger. Like most good stories, thisone revolves around thwarted love and a rejected suit, and the battles that ensue. One famous scene describes the rage of Singabarong at the theft of one hundred and fifty tigers from his kingdom. Others show Singabarong in his peacock form, displaying the beauty of his tail to the admiring maidens. As many as thirty dancers take part in the performance, filling the roles of servants and soldiers. In addition to the rhythmic percussion beat, the dance is accompanied by orchestrated growls and roars from the musicians, often amplified electronically.

    The climax of the dance involves a parade, in which Singabarong, accompanied by a wild and noisy crowd and the group of musicianscarrying their instruments, marches through the surrounding area. This is something of a boundary marking exercise, and infringement on another group's 'turf' can cause as much resentment as it would in downtown Harlem.

    Fights and jealousies between neighbouring groups and villages are not uncommon, and stories of the use of black magic between rival troupes are rife. Thus, the role of the warok, the group's spiritual leader, is vital. The warok has a special understanding of the hidden world,gained through years of arduous discipline in forest retreats, or so the stories go. He communes with tiger spirits and the spirits of thearea, and channels energy towards the principal dancer, providing protection and support. These days, belief in magic is declining, and many warok claim that they do little more than pray to God for the success of the performance.

    While women often take part in modern Reog, this was not always the case. In the past, strict moral codes forbade unmarried women frommixing with men, and boys had to play female roles. These young transvestites, known as gemblak, were chosen for their good looks, and often kept as concubines for the personal pleasure of the leader ofthe group. It is interesting to note that despite the strict Islamic codes of the area, homosexual behaviour is regarded with much greater tolerance than fraternisation between the sexes. There was no loss of prestige involved in becoming the master's chosen boy. As a boy's beauty faded and he was replaced by a new favourite, he outgrew his role and gave up the practice of wearing female clothing and other effeminate mannerisms, and usually settled down and married.

    These days, such practices form part of the art's colourful history, and the ritual significance of reog is overshadowed by its importanceas a modern Indonesian art form. A Reog festival is held in Ponorogoevery Independence Day, on 17th August, at which every group in thearea competes for the title of champion. Performances are often stagedas part of cultural displays held at hotels and elsewhere in Surabayaand Jakarta, and even overseas, where Reog is staged as the representative East Javanese art form.

    sources : www.wayang.net
  • You might also like

    Tidak ada komentar:

    Posting Komentar

    Mari kita rembug bersama, agar kesenian reog lebih berkwalitas dan berkembang, tetapi jika ngobrol tanpa ada ACTION sama halnya BO'ONG, maka setelah kita ngbrol sambil NGOPI kita TATA gamelan dan langsung kita REOGAN.....

Diberdayakan oleh Blogger.

Followers

Cari Blog Ini



Free Widgets
Free Counter

Networked Blogs

Visitors

Picture of Reog dance

Facebook

Profil Facebook Bahrudin Khoiri

NeoCounter

Follow me

Max Dien - Find me on Bloggers.com

KELANA