The Legitimacy of Classical Dance Gagrag Ngayogyakarta Y. Sumandiyo Hadi Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) Yogyakarta Jalan Parangtritis Km 6,5, Sewon, Bantul Yogyakarta ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to reveal the existence of classical dance style of Yogyakarta, since the government of Sultan Hamengku Buwono I, which began in 1756 until now in the era the government of Sultan Hamengku Buwono X. The legitimation of classical dance is considered as “Gagrag Ngayogyakarta”. Furthermore, the dance is not only preserved in the palace, but living and growing outside the palace, and possible to be examined by the general public. The dance was fi rst considered as a source of classical dance “Gagrag Ngayogyakarta”, created by Sultan Hamengku Buwono I, i.e. Beksan Lawung Gagah, or Beksan Trunajaya, Wayang Wong or dance drama, and Bedaya dance. The three dances can be categorized as a sacred dance, in which the performances strongly related to traditional ceremonies or rituals. Three types of dance later was developed into other types of classical dance “Gagrag Ngayogyakarta”, which is categorized as a secular dance for entertainment performance. Keywords: Sultan Hamengku Buwono, classical dance, “gagrag”, Yogyakarta style, legitimacy, sacred, ritual dance, secular dance INTRODUCTION value because it is produced by qualifi ed Yogyakarta as one of the regions in the artists from the upper-middle-class society, archipelago, which has various designa- and not from the proletarians or low class. tions, including a student city, a tourism The term of tradition is a genre from the city, and a cultural city. As a cultural city, past, which is hereditary from one gene- there are diff erent types of artwork. One of ration to generation. Moreover, there is an them is a classical traditional dance, which impression as if this concept is static, con- is often called Beksa Klasik Gagrag Ngayog- servative, and resistant to change. yakarta or Yogyakarta classical dance. This On the other hand, in many respects, art has a strong historical root and becomes the traditional performing arts are usually one of the tops of local culture that has been expressed through various forms as either experiencing the process of re-inventing sacred or ritual ceremony. Meanwhile, adi traditional culture. luhung (noble) means soft, elegant, complex This dance is often designated as adi lu- as well as an art form that is considered to hung (noble) traditional classic art because be completed (fi n esse). It has many rules, it is a palace classical art product. The word very binding one. The standard or the rules “classic” comes from the Latin word “clas- of Yogyakarta classical dance is guided by sisi”. This term emerged since the medieval the nature of its form which is based on period that is the Roman Empire era, to ca- philosophical foundations called Kawruh tegorize artwork, which has a high-quality Joged Mataram, that is the inspiration for a Panggung Vol. 27 No. 4, Desember 2017 389 dancer consisting of four main elements heritage; with each has own characteristic called sawiji, greged, sengguh, and ora ming- known as “Gagrag Surakarta” and “Gagrag kuh (see Suryobrongto, 1981: 88-93), as well Ngayogyakarta”. as the practical rule of aesthetic concepts “Gagrag” is understood as “a style” called wiraga, wirama, and wirasa. which leads to a characteristic context, or a The sawiji element is understood as a design, and a technique; whether involving full concentration or focusing his thoughts a personal or individual style of the creator, and actions without disturbing his soul. The as well as the socio-cultural features that greged element is understood as a spirit, a underlie the presence of that form. In this vigour, or inner dynamics, without being case, Beksa Gagrag Ngayogyakarta means the rude. The sengguh element is understood as style form and technique of dance move- an act of confi dence (self-confi dence), but ments, with a various cultural-social con- without being arrogant. While ora mingkuh text of Yogyakarta. element is the spirit of abstinence by which It is estimated that forming the Beksa or maintaining self-discipline. Gagrag Ngayogyakarta is in conjunction with The practical guidance of the aesthetic the establishment of Yogyakarta Sultanate concept of wiraga is concerned with the around 1756. And it can be assumed that whole arrangement of motion relations in the dance was created by Sultan Hameng- one unity of form so-called the fi gure of ku Buwono I himself, who was regarded dance. The wirama relates to the time as- as the heir artist of Mataram dynasty, who pect, which manages the short or length of has a big a ention to the arts. Successively the phrase of dance movements in this case the dance of beksa gagrag Ngayogyakarta con- concerning the rhythm of motion, rhythm, tinues to be preserved and developed until tempo and its conformity with the rhythm now (under Sultan HB X government) and of the dance accompaniment or gending ac- legitimized as a cultural heritage of the pa- companiment. Meanwhile, the sense of wi- lace of Yogyakarta Sultanate (Y. Sumandiyo rasa is related to the sense of motion or the Hadi, 2013: 13-14). purpose and content of a dance. The legitimacy of classical dance gagrag The process of creating a classic beksa Ngayogyakarta not only lives and grows gagrag Ngayogyakarta can be traced after in the palace but also develop outside the Gianti agreement in 1755. The Mataram palace of Yogyakarta since the era of Sul- kingdom was split into two areas, with tan Hamengku Buwono VII around 1918. the agreement of Kasunanan Keraton Sura- This is thankdues to the idea of two sons of karta Hadiningrat, which was still ruled by the Sultan namely Prince Tejokusumo and Susuhunan Paku Buwono III. Meanwhile, Prince Suryodiningrat, who founded an art his uncle Pangeran Mangkubumi then es- organization called Krida Beksa Wirama. tablished Kasultanan Keraton Ngayogyakarta Since the presence of the organization, and Hadiningrat, and then enthroned with the subsequently, the emergence of other arts title of Sultan Hamengku Buwono I. In ad- organizations, the classical dance of Yogya- dition to the political agreement, the divi- karta style can be learned by ordinary peo- sion of land, and its people, and other signs ple outside the palace (Hadi, 2013: 126). of power, the event also indirectly contains a cultural agreement, with agreements in METHOD the fi eld of art and culture, dance, music, The research on the legitimacy of clas- the art of dressing, and so forth. The two pa- sical dance Gagrag or Ngayogyakarta (Yog- laces still preserve the Mataraman cultural yakarta) style, uses a qualitative method in Hadi: The Legitimacy of Classical Dance Gagrag Ngayogyakarta 390 which the researcher is the main instrument dance as a symbol of personal representa- in the research process. Based on that ap- tives of the Sultan when he has a wedding proach, the researcher positioned himself ceremony of his sons and daughters in the as a participant observer, ge ing in as a par- reception of a royal wedding (Suryobrong- ticipant in the community of the research to, 1981: 30-31). In traditional wedding cere- subject that is the Yogyakarta palace. monies of the palace, this dance has a very The primary data collection is obtained high position, because it serves as a repre- through interviews with the informants, sentative or on behalf of the Sultan. When aimed at obtaining information and data the Sultan holds weddings of his sons and from individuals in general for informa- daughters, at the receptions or called leng- tion purposes; while through respondents, gahan ageng, it is usually held in Bangsal the interviews aim to obtain information Kepatihan. The Sultan himself did not at- or specifi c information about the personal, tend the event, so the dance is a symbol of a itudes, standpoints or views of the indi- the legitimacy of the Sultan’s presence, and viduals interviewed for comparative pur- brings the mandate to both the bride and poses. In order to make non-contradicted groom, especially for having a new life, as interpretations, the researcher then conduct- well as the heroism messages, chivalry de- ed crosscheck of the information through a scribed in the dance. The group of Lawung literature study. Most of the literatures are Gagah dancers departed from the palace to manuscripts, or chronicles in the Yogya- Bangsal Kepatihan with the procession of karta palace, especially those related to the horse riding with shaded by umbrellas, es- research topic. corted by several corps of a warrior, train Observations and research on classical convoy accompanied by relatives of the dance Yogyakarta style have been done for Sultan, and along the way accompanied by a long time; started from 2010 until now, Javanese gending karawitan. The dance form by making research road-map starting from has specifi c characteristic or “style” indi- the classical dance performances developed cated that it was created based on charac- both inside and outside the palace; and then teristics or the background of the creator, as analyze or identify its development, until well as the social background. the fi nal goal is to analyze the revitalization Beksan Lawung is a kind of strong male of the dance. Therefore, this qualitative re- dance, so it is called “Lawung Gagah”, search, trying to clarify, to explain all data which describes the practice of war using a obtained, so that the results of the research lawung weapon or a kind of spear with dull is valid. ends. The creation of this dance was driven by a tradition of play called sabtonan, that RESULTS AND DISCUSSION is a war exercise performed by the soldiers One of the dances that have been legiti- on horseback, using weapons called lawung mized as the cultural heritage of the Sulta- or watang, so it is often called watangan; nate palace since the government of Sultan which is done routinely on Saturdays, so Hamengku Buwono I until now includes it is called a sabtonan game (Kartodirdjo, et Beksan Lawung Gagah or Beksan Trunajaya.