Why do they use puppets in gamelan

It is maintained that they are old indigenous deities, which have been adapted to later Indianised mythology. This suggestion is supported by, for example, the stylisation of the Semar character, which differs drastically from the other puppets. On the other hand, clowns play a central part in numerous forms of theatre in Asia. The driving force behind wayang is the dalang puppeteer , who animates all the puppets by himself. He performs all the speaking rolls from memory with "strange, squeaky voice" and improvises the dialogue as he goes along.

He sits in a cross legged position and rarely gets up during the entire show. Iron clappers and wooden blocks are used for sounds effects and the gamelan music gets more intense as the performance goes on, perhaps to keep everyone awake. Lots of puns are made with the Sudanese words for "kiss," "sit," and "water" which mean "drink," "go home" and "feces" in Javanese. Some members of the audience like to watch performance from behind the screen so they can see the dalang at work, [Source: "The Villagers" by Richard Critchfield, Anchor Books].

Dalang are believed to infuse their puppets with deep mystical spirituality. At the same time they can infuse their shows with acerbic political and social commentary. The art form helped spread anti-colonial messages during Dutch rule and many dalang were blacklisted or forced to tow the government line in the Suharto years.

The performance of the dalang is the focus of the whole, often hour-long performance, which traditionally begins at 9 p. The dalang is also responsible for the rituals performed in connection with the play, and he must know by heart the main lakon, which are in a way revived with the addition of much improvisation.

Today, dalang are also trained in special schools, but they are still highly respected members of their communities, the best dalang being famous throughout the island. The dalang thus carries on the ancient oral tradition passing on the main body of classical literature, but at the same time he must be able to improvise and add even the most topical items to the whole.

He must also be skilled in recitation, singing, the vocal characterisations of the roles, and the elevated and vulgar levels of the language, along with manipulating the puppets in front of the screen. Many dalang earn little for their work and are forced to travel from village to village as itinerant entertainers to make a living.

They are often hired to do the shows at weddings or boy's circumcisions. Well known dalang can often make reasonably good money doing television and radio shows.

Dalang are held in high esteem. They are regarded as moralists and pundits as well as craftsmen and humorists. They are sought after as friends by politicians and headmen. Describing a year-old itinerant dalang, who had plied his trade for 36 years Jamie James wrote in the New York Times, "A jaunty, compact man scarcely five feet tall, he has the sunny countenance and self-confident air of an artist at the top of his profession.

In the beginning I had no teacher, no texts, no puppets. I borrowed a set of puppets and when the owner took them back, I learned how to carve my own Two of my great grandfathers were dalangs but the intervening generations were not. Dalang often become so attached to their puppets they talk to them like friends. In a single show a dalang may perform for ten hours without a break, and speak voices in four different languages such archaic Pali of medieval India, Javanese and Balinese.

Some of the great dalangs, it is said, glowed in the dark and were able to perform shadow plays without a light. The screen is divided into two, the right-hand side being reserved for the good characters, and the left for the evil party. This polarity, however, is not rigid, since both parties include characters with qualities that could belong to the opposing one. At the sides of the 4-metre-long screen the puppets stand in rows with their rods stuck into the soft trunk of a banana tree placed below the screen.

It is also used for special effects such as storms, or even the disruption of the cosmic order. Like all other features of wayang kulit, the gunungan has many symbolic meanings; it is said to symbolise, for example, the World Mountain, the tree of life, and the cosmic order.

He leads the gamelan, an ensemble of up to thirty musical instruments: gongs, metallophones, xylophones, drums, flutes, zithers, and stringed instruments along with a chorus of female singers. One set of metallophones carries the recurrent melody, which is elaborated by other metallophones, xylophones, and gong sets, with the drums leading the rhythm, while another set of metallophones gives the dalang his pitch. Each principal character has his or her own musical theme or Leitmotif, and the gamelan drastically accentuates the three decisive turning-points of the performance, changing from the rather low-keyed accompaniment of the beginning to an ever higher pitch and faster tempo towards the end.

This custom is no longer maintained, at least in large-scale public performances, and today the performance can be freely viewed from both sides of the screen. It was used to propagate the Islamic faith, and Western missionaries have also spread the message of Christianity with their Western-influenced puppets. In the mids the naturalistic puppets of wayang pancasila Pancasila: the doctrine of the spiritual foundations of the Indonesian Republic presented the history of Indonesian independence to the people.

There are also many wayang kulit-related drama forms, of which the most archaic is wayang beber, now practically extinct. In wayang beber the dalang illustrated the story by opening a painted scroll supported by two poles. Another now rare form is wayang klitik, based on the Islamic Damar Wulan story cycle. It was performed without a screen with flat, wooden puppets carved in relief. Although wayang golek [see below] is performed in many places, wayang kulit is still the most popular form of Javanese puppet theatre.

In its many variants, wayang kulit is performed throughout Java on feast days. Performances are regularly staged by the kraton, and they are also broadcast frequently. Shadow theatre still partly has its traditional, deep, and even sacral meaning, and performing and viewing the play can be experienced as a kind of spiritual exercise.

However, many also claim that it has recently been too heavily popularised and is thus becoming only a form of entertainment. Wayang golek wayang klitik is like wayang kulit except the puppets are carved in relief and used without a screen.

The three-dimensional puppets are carved from wood and elaborately painted and costumed. They have movable heads and arms and are manipulated with rods by a puppeteer below the stage.

Many of the stories are the same Hindu ones used in Wayang Gulik but some are also inspired by Islamic stories. Wayang golek is particularly popular in West Java and is associated with the Sundanese ethnic group. It is regarded as more populist and artheri than wayang kulit. It has traditionally been performed in Sundanese, the language of southwest Java.

The puppets are often elaborately crafted. Some of the newer ones can stick out their tongue. They strut and mope, bean each other on the head a lot, and enact complex stories while all the time swaying, just a little bit, rather like people on the edge of a dance floor. Its main repertoire is derived from the Menak cycle, dealing with the Muslim hero Amir Hamzah.

Local variants of wayang golek have evolved in various parts of Java. The tradition is strongest in West Java, where it has been used in performing the stock repertoire of wayang purwa, that is, the Ramayana, the Mababbarata, as well as local tales, and the East Javanese Adventures of Prince Panji. He uses his other hand to manipulate the rods for the arms and hands. In Hindu thought, good and evil are necessary parts of the whole and must exist in equilibrium.

In Bali, shadow plays are extremely popular, with performances given during sacred temple ceremonies, private family ceremonies, and in the villages, just for fun. A typical performance can last six hours or more, often ending at daybreak. The audience, including little children, sits on the ground, enthralled, for the entire story.

Although involving much horseplay and slapstick comedy in the lighthearted Balinese fashion, every aspect of the shadow play has mystical overtones, symbolism, and esoteric meanings.

Go to Our Instruments to learn more about the gender wayang orchestra which accompanies the shadow play, and to listen to a sample of gender wayang music. Wayang kulit combines deep spiritual meaning, entertaining storytelling, extraordinary musicality both in the gamelan and vocals , deep philosophical messages, current political commentary, and bawdy humor.

It is one of the most complete art forms, with everything in the hands of the dhalang. A good dhalang is indeed a celebrity who commands a high fee and can perform in front of audiences as large as 6 or 7, people.

What are some of the distinctive features of a performance that differentiate it from other forms of puppetry? Javanese shadow puppetry involves distinctive puppets that are art works in themselves. The gamelan orchestra is comprised of between 20 and 40 musicians and is made up of bronze instruments — gongs, metalaphones, strings, and vocals. It is one of the great art forms as it combines ancient stories, mystical mantras, and topical commentary.