TRADITIONS Wayang Wong Priangan: Dance Drama of West Java by Yus Ruslaiana Translated, edited, and augmented by Kathy Foley The relationship between human performance the form is on the stone inscription Wimalarama from and puppetry in Indonesia is strong. If wayang wong East Java dated 930A.D. (Soedarsono, l997: 4-6) The jawa (Javanese dance drama) is a reflection of wayang genre is currently done in masked and unmasked kulit , the leather shadow puppetry of Central Java, variations in Central Java, Bali, and Cirebon (a city on which uses humans as actors (Soedarsono, 1997:1), the north coast of West Java), as well as in Sunda then wayang wong Priangan, the dance drama of (West Java).1 Since Cirebon’s wayang wong is the Priangan—the mountainous highland area of West direct antecedent of wayang wong Priangan, Java— can be spoken of as a personification of wayang understanding Cirebonese practice is important to the golek, the wooden three-dimensional puppetry of the discussion. Sundanese speakers who live in this highland area of Wayang Wong in Cirebon West Java. Cirebon has two styles of wayang wong. The first Performances borrow from the repertoire of this is a village version in which the performers are important puppet theatre in which stories of the masked. 2 The second is a palace variant where the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Arjuna Sasra Bahu and performers dance unmasked. Cirebonese wayang Menak cycles are performed. As in wayang golek a wong developed in the beginning of the nineteenth dalang (puppet master) delivers narration and mood Century and fed into the wayang wong Priangan by songs. The musical repertoire of wayang golek’s the end of that century. gamelan is used the performance structure adopts From 1811 to 1816 the English were a colonial pupptry’s patterns. Differences are that in wayang presence in Cirebon. When they left, they were wong (called wayang orang in Indonesian) the replaced by the Dutch. In this period the palaces of choreography performed by individual dancers is the Kanoman and Kasepuhan were centers of cultural more complex than that executed by the wayang conservation and artistic development.3 These kraton golek dolls; the dialogue is usually delivered by each (palaces) encouraged the artistic practice of the village dancer representing his or her character rather than performers as well as supporting presentations by by a solo narrator/puppeteer; and the performance is artists who were of noble descent. For example, the more streamlined, lasting a mere two to four hours Kanoman Palace records note a performance in 1842 rather than the seven or eight of a puppet play. of a badaya (female court dance) done by six Wayang wong Priangan developed in the late performers which drew on the Menak cycle, a legend nineteenth century, peaked in the regencies of that tells the history of Amir Hamzah uncle of the Bandung, Sumedang, Garut and Sukabumi in the Prophet Mohammed (Soedarsono l972: 115-6). Later, period before World War II, and receded by the late during the reign of Sultan Raja Zukarmaen (l873- l960s as audiences waned. This article will introduce 1934) and Sultan Anom Nurbuat (l934-5), attention to wayang wong Priangan, detailing its history and the arts continued at the Kanoman. Palace aspects of performance practice and repertoire. choreographies included a badaya rimbe (a female History group dance performed by the Sultan’s female Wayang in Kawi (Old Javanese) means “shadow” daughters), which was last performed in l966 at a and wang means “human.” Wayang wang was a Kanoman circumcision. Wayang wong, presenting performance in the style of wayang kulit, the shadow tales from the Amir Hamzah repertoire. Kanoman theatre of Central Java wherein actors and actresses dancers performed wayang wong without masks and took the puppets roles. The first written reference to characters spoke their own dialogue while the dalang Balungan 13 delivered only the mood songs (kakawen/ suluk), and were nobles or their retainers. The masked narration (nyandra). Performers were generally village Kasepuhan Palace model was dominated by villagers artist who were given rights to work lands and and these performances were more suffused with a considered abdi dalam, retainers of the ruler. Some village aesthetic. The former style needed many artists, especially dalang, were given the title Nata trained palace performers, but the latter style was the Prawa. Palace performances were open to the public purview of professionals/semi-professionals. This by l925, but as the patronage of the palace faltered second group would in the late nineteenth century with independence and economic dearth, wayang carry the art to the Piangan highlands, travelling for wong ceased by l966 due to lack of funds. parts of the year as itinerant troupes. The wayang wong which was favored at the Wayang wong in the Priangan area Kasepuhan palace was different. There a village According to Pak Kandeg, the most authoritative troupe which would be invited into the palace to Cirebonese wayang wong dalang of the last perform for Islamic holy days, for life-cycle generation, a dalang by the name of Ki Kempung was celebrations, and for exorcistic ceremonies (ruwatan). the first to tour the genre outside the palace and to In the period of Sultan Raja Atmaja (1880-1899) the Priangan while the second was Nagbehi troupe of Dalang Resmi was most noted. There were Natawigunan (Maman Suriaatmaja 1970: 236). many artists especially from the surrounding villages Performances could be of two types: firstly, that hired of Mayung, Gegesik, Palimanan, Slangit, and for a set fee by a family or group holding a ceremony Suranenggala. These performers were allowed to or celebrating a festive occasion, or, secondly, paid for work royal land and might be given titles. For by viewers who purchased individual tickets. The example, Dalang Kandeg, one of the most noted latter type of presentation was called bebarangan or Cirebonese artists of the last generation, was given ngamen (itinerant performance). As these groups the title Patmadjawinata, while Dalang Dirja received traveled, wayang wong spread to major cites of the the title of Ngabehi. Such individuals also were given Sundanese area such as Sumedang, Garut, Sukabumi, the honorific title Ki or Kyai . These two dalangs and and Bandung. their troupe were frequent performers in the palace The dalangs of this time who were best known performance halls, Pringgondani and Srimati, were Wentar and Koncar. Wentar’s given name was between l939-l942. Their performances included well Kundung, but he received the nickname Wentar known wayang stories such Pergiwa-Pergiwati, Jabang (kawentar, “famous”) from R. A. A. Martanegara, the Tutukla, Gandamanah, Brajamusti—stories named after regent of Bandung at the turn of the twentieth their featured character—The Forest of Alas Amer, century. Wentar was patronized by the aristocracy Somantri Breaks his Vow, Partakrama (Arjuna’s and was known for teaching topeng-style mask dance Wedding), Campang Curiga, Prabu Kuliti Kunmbang of Cirebon to highland nobles. Meanwhile Koncar Ali-Ali (Mintaraga/Arjuna’s Meditation), and, for the who was closer to the commoners, focused on exorcism, Batara Kala (The God/Demon Kala). performing wayang wong with his troupe for his Costumes and masks for these performances followed lower class audience. Originally the dialogue used by the iconography of the wayang kulit shadow theatre such troupes was in the Cirebonese dialect of of Cirebon. (Pigaud, l938: 120). The batik cloth in Javanese, but soon the local Sundanese language, which dancers would wrapped themselves was which could be understood by the viewers, was painted with the traditional designs of Cirebon. In the employed. According to Dalang Kandeg, the real Kasepuhan performances the dalang delivered all the name of Koncar was Ki Konya. The moniker Koncar dialogue as well as the mood songs and narration, as comes from kakoncara, meaning “well-known.” he would in a puppet performance. Movement was in Wentar helped lay the groundwork for what would the style of Cirebon topeng (mask dance). Palace become known as wayang wong priyayi (literally, performance used both the slendro prawa and pelog “civil servant” [i.e., upper class] wayang wong) as he orchestras. Performances outside the palace, by trained members of the aristocracy in dance contrast, were more modest would use only one set of performance. Koncar whose work was later continued instruments tuned to either the slendro or pelog by Dalang Kamsi, popularized the genre among the scales. hoi poloi. Due to this pair and their followers, by the The Kanoman Palace developed an aristocratic, end of the nineteenth century we find wayang wong unmasked variant of wayang wong where performers 14 Volume 9–10, 2004 Priangan developing in the highlands of West Java as was called the Hall of Priangan Culture. Here dance, an indigenous performance. music, and theatre were practiced. The arts were On January 1, 1871 the Dutch colonial linked to status and class. By the l920s, Bupati R. A. A. administration implemented re-organization of the Wiranatakusumah V, known as Dalam Haji, (1920-31 Priangan area by assigning a Dutch resident officer to and l935-42) led the regency (Nina H. Lubis, l998: oversee several regents, called bupati. It was in cities 315). Under Wiranatkusumah’s leadership priyayi overseen by these bupati, that wayang wong later presented maskless Mahabharata episodes with the flowered. Let us consider some of the developments dialogue spoken by the dancers. Costumes followed looking at the cites closer to Cirebon first. wayang golek iconography and the group performed Sumedang is the gateway to Priangan from for congresses and major holidays. R. Sambas Cirebon on the north coast. Prince Suria Kusumah Wirakusumah excelled as the knight Laraskonda and Adinata (l836-l882), the bupati of Sumedang was a R.