Postmodern Aesthetic Idioms in Bali Tourism Performance
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURAL STUDIES INDONESIA - VOL. 1 NO. 1 JUNE (2019) Online version available in : http://ijocsi.fib.unand.ac.id International Journal of Cultural Studies Indonesia | ISSN 2715-7237 | Article Postmodern Aesthetic Idioms in Bali Tourism Performance Anak Agung Gde Putera Semadi1 1 Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Dwijendra University, Bali, Indonesia SUBMISSION TRACK ABSTRACT Recieved: March 28, 2017 Final Revision: May 03, 2017 Bali tourism performance art is a form of an art which is Available Online: May 15, 2017 purposely processed to be served to tourists. This art has theatrical and spectacular characteristics which accentuate the visual attractiveness more than sacred, magical, and symbolic KEYWORD values. Some kinds of art such as Legong Dance, Ramayana Postmodern Aesthetic, Tourism Ballet, Barong and Keris Dance, Monkey Dance, Face Mask Performance Art Dance, and Shadow Puppet Dance have been being main menu of art spectacle in Bali. Bali tourism performance art has CORRESPONDENCE appeared in a new package since 1980. This concept was E-mail: [email protected] dominantly affected by postmodern aesthetic characteristics such as : Pastiche, Parody, Kitsch, Camp, and Skizofrenia. Its , purpose was to make performance art became more exotic which was related to economic interest. Therefore, many Bali cultural art activities included its sacred value have been eroded by a fast and fantastic secularization process in both quality and quantity. INTRODUCTION Tourism performance art which is also known as art by metamorphosis, art of acculturation, psendo traditional art, or tourist art is an art includes (music, dance, and drama) which is purposeful created to be served to tourists. Soedarsono in Dibia (2010) says that there are five special characteristics of tourism art such as (1) it is an artificial of the original one, (2) it has no sacred, magic, and symbolic values, (3) it is a short and concise original’s mini version, (4) it has full of varieties, and (5) it has an affordable price. Mostly, tourism art will put something which has theatrical and spectacular characteristics or visual attraction as well as visual performance as the first priority. Bali performance art was dominated by some kinds of Balinese traditional art such as Legong (Legong Dance), Ramayana Fragmentation (Ramayana Ballet), Barong (Barong and Keris Dance), and Kecak (Monkey Dance) until 1960. Then, Mask Dance Drama (Topeng) and Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International. Some rights reserved ANAK AGUNG GDE PUTERA SEMADI / IJOCSI - VOL. 1. NO. 1 JUNE (2019) Shadow Puppet have been being appeared since 1970 to increase the glory of touristic performance art. Balinese art which has been packed into tourism performance art has experienced a lot of cultural valuable values secularization processes. These processes have affected the occurrence of new aesthetic form of that art itself which has been tailored to the interest of tourists as well as the condition of their era. This fact is one of art esthetic forms in postmodern era which contains some idioms such as: Pastiche, Parody, Kitsch, Camp, and Skizofrenia. The appearance of this aesthetic postmodern has also resulted in culture tourism became one of community’s economic source. One consequence which cannot be avoided is Balinese people will get the negative effect of this tourism industry. The art of tourism performance which began to be popular in Bali around 1990s managed in adding cultural treasures, especially in the stage of Balinese art performance. The declaration of tourism as the main foreign exchange supplier beside petroleum and natural gas by Indonesia government resulted in a rapid development of the form of tourism performance art which are presented to foreign tourists such as Legong dance, Barong and Kris Dance, Ramayana Ramet (Ramayana Ballet), Kecak (Kecak and Fire Dance), Calonarang ballet, Tektekan, Joged Bungbung, Mask ballet, and shadow puppets in some areas in Bali such as Gianyar, Badung, Tabanan, Karangasem, Buleleng and Denpasar. That productivity of tourism performance art is a result of Balinese traditional art packaging to tourists interest. This problem has led a secularization process of Balinese cultural values as the impact of a new aesthetics which is tailored to the postmodern aesthetic idioms such as Pastiche, Parody, Kitsch, Camp, and Schizophrenia. In fact, since the 1980s, Balinese performance arts have emerged with new packaging, which some of them got the additional elements and others were deliberately packed as new creations. This creation resulted in the appearance of Kecak Ramayana which is completed by Sanghyang Dedari and Sanghyang Jaran (Kecak Sanghyang) dances, Kekebyaran art group, as well as Contemporary Cak dance. The idea is to make them as more exotic art performance which can attract tourists interest to watch it. METHODS This study of postmodern aesthetic idioms in Bali tourism performance art were designed as a qualitative study with phenomenology approach. The primary data sources included key informant and supporters who were considered to have capacity and authority for Bali performance arts. Secondary data sources were obtained from observation records, books, scientific magazine and journals, personal and archives documents, official documents, photographs, as well as VCD (Video Compact Disct). Supporting instruments used were interview guides, tape recorder, voice recorder, photo camera, and field notes. Methods and techniques which were used in this study were participative observation, deep interview, recording, document study, and focus group discussion (FGD). Analytical techniques were obtained through interpretation of facts, field data, and documents. All of them were done in a process which includes three activities simultaneously, namely: data reduction, data presentation, and withdrawal of conclusions (verification). The presentation of data analysis in this study was done verbally by qualitative descriptive presentation technique. The logic was based on inductive and deductive reasoning. Then, this 10 ANAK AGUNG GDE PUTERA SEMADI / IJOCSI - VOL. 1. NO. 1 JUNE (2019) result study presentation was also done in the form of tables, drawings, or chart in order to be able to support the quality of the narration. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Bali Tourism Perfomance Art Past Time Legong, Ramayana Fragmentation, Barong, Kecak, Face Mask Dance, Shadow Puppet, and also Barong Kunti Sraya Dance were main menu of Bali Tourism Art Show in 1960 – 1970s. Barong Kunti Sraya dance which came from Singapadu Gianyar was also called as Barong and Keris Dance. This dance appeared in the beginning of 1960s with 60 minutes (1 hour) duration. It will always be started by Mapang Barong dance and followed by a drama of life; the purpose of the show is to repel a lion and a monkey as the vermin plant. The core of this Kunti Sraya show is son of Pandu and Dewi Madri named Sahadewa has been scarified by Dewi Kunti who has been possessed by a devil that was sent by Batari Durga. This show will be ended by Keris Dance which always involves a trance. It is not totally different if we compare this dance with Kecak Ramayana dance. They both have other names which are called by people. Kecak Ramayana dance is sold by many different names in the interest of tourists which actually all of them have the same meaning; those names are Monkey Dance, Angel Dance, or Fire Dance. The storyline of this dance are taken from 3 episodes, they are Aranya Kanda, Sundara Kanda, and Yudha Kanda. This dance tells us a story of Dewi Sita who is kidnapped by Prabu Rahwana. There is Jatayu bird which comes to safe Dewi Sita but it fails. Then, there are monkey soldiers which are under the leadership of Sugriwa finally succeed to safe her, therefore she can meet her husband Sri Rama. The condition of this art is quite stable and there is no any changes can even be seen. Present Time Bali tourism performance art has appeared in a new packaging since 1980s. An addition of some elements has been applied into old arts and even a new form has been created as well. It happens in Kecak Ramayana which is completed by Sang Hyang Dedari (Dedari and Jaran) dance in this decade in order to make this performance art becomes more exotic. This performance art is also called by Kecak Sang Hyang performance which is able to attract tourists more and leads this Kecak becomes a standard performance now in Bali. Some leaders of Ubud community in Gianyar said that Kecak Ramayana has ever been performed in Ubud without being completed by Sang Hyang Dedari Dance in the end of the show which was resulted in a lack of tourists interested to watch the show, but it did not happen for a long period due to the leaders of north Ubud village made the performance was exactly same like before and they got normal amount of tourist who watched the show instead of only 200-250 before. Bali tourism performance art moved slower during Bali bombing 1 and 2. Therefore, some artist in Bali tried to make new art creation as tourism art presentation such as there is group of Kekebyaran art, Contemporary Cak Dance, and also Dramatari Gambuh. Regarding to Dibia (2010), there were at least 10 kinds of welcome dance which have been performed in this 2 last decades as tourism performance art. It has been begun by Pendet, Gabor, and Panyembrama and then followed by Pusperesti, Puspanjali, and Sekar Jagat, Gadung Melati, Selat Segara, Gadung Kasturi, and also Kebyar Dance. New creation as Manukrawa, Belibis, Cendrawasih, 11 ANAK AGUNG GDE PUTERA SEMADI / IJOCSI - VOL. 1. NO. 1 JUNE (2019) Satya Brastha and others have joined to enliven the tourism art performance together with Legong Kraton Dance, Baris, Oleg Tambulilingan, Kebyar Duduk and etc. There is one significant differentiation between Balinese traditional performance and tourism performance. Traditional Barong Ket performance will be started by a ceremony for religious purpose (Odalan) which is held in a temple and completed by religious symbols in each of its performance.