info"++

JAVA Classical Dance

OTHER CLASSICAL JAVANESE DANCES

Besides the classical Javanese dance-dramas and sendratari, Surakarta style and Yogyakarta style, there are other independent dances which have always been popular with Indonesians especially the Javanese. These dances rake the form of war-dances and love-dances.

Among the Most popular are tile Beksan Lawung (Yogyakarta style), Klana Topeng (Yogyakarta style), Beksan Wayang Golek (Yogyakarta style), Gambir Anoni (Surakarta style), Bondan (Surakarta style), Gatutkaca Gandrung (Surakarta style), Golek (Yogyakarta style) and war-dances such as Srikandi fighting Cakil, Prahasta fighting Hanila, Ontoreja fighting Hanggada and so on.

Search This Site

The dances used to be called beksan, wireng or petilan, but they are now called only by their names.

is ridiculed by Sent and Kumitir, but damarwulan persists in his plan and asks Patih Logender's leave to go and kill Menakjingga. His request is granted and he soon appears before Prabu Kenya to ask permission to go to Blambangan to destroy menakjingga, At first Prabu Kenya hesitates doubting whether only a stableboy will be able to beat him. She grants him his request, however, and lie soon prepares himself to go to Blambangan,
Arriving at Blambangan, Damarwulan appears before Menakjingga and conveys Prabu Kenya's order to surrender. But Menakjingga bursts into laughter and say that it is Prabu Kenya who has better surrender and become his wife, Damarwulan insists until Menakjingga becomes very angry and strikes him. A violent fight follows. Menakjingga, who is known as the cruel and limping vassal, has a magic weapon called the gada wesi kuning (a brass club) and cannot be beaten. This weapon is never used except at critical moments, menakjingga's wives, Waita and Punyengan who are watching the battle, rake pity on Damarwulan, because they know he will surely die if the gada wesi kuning hits him. They decide to steal the gada and give it to Damarwulan.

Again and again Damarwulan falls to the ground because of tile violent blows of Menakjingga. At at moment when the latter is not looking, Waita and Puyengan hand the gada wesi kuning to Damarwulan. Menakjingga is greatly startied to see that his weapon is in his enemy's hand. All of a sudden his limbs weaken and Damarwulan kills him with one blow. After thanking Waita and Puyengan, Damarwulan asks leave to set out for Majapahit to hand over Menakjingga's head to Prabu Kenya.
When Seta and Kumitir, both ignoble men beard about Damarwulan's success in bringing home Menakjingga's head, they plan to take it away from him and say to Prabu Kenya that it was they who succeeded in killing Menakjingga.
Damarwulan is intercepted on his way by Seta and Kumitir, who take Menakjingga's head away from him. They return to Majapahit to report their victory, but Damarwulan soon comes to report it was he and not they who killed Menakiingga.
Thus Damarwulan has saved Majapahit, and at the same time wins two beautiful wives, Anjasmara and Prabu Kenya.

BEKSAN LAWUNG

The Beksan Lawung is a dance for men depicting the knighthood of the Period of feudal society. it represents contests between knights in the skill of using their lances, similar to the tournaments in Western Europe during the Middle Ages.

Beksan Lawung has been cultivated in the palaces of both Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Kusumakesawa, a dance expert of Sura