Wayang kulit, or shadow puppets, is taught in the home of Wayan Mardika and his family, in Sukawati.
Associate Program Director Newman and Tom Jones working on their puppets, using handmade tooling knives and punches. Learning the music is part of the study, with Wayan's brother, Komang, here with Joani Rose and Kajsa Ingemansson.
Studying to be a dalang, or shadow master, is a multi-disciplinary art involving: making rawhide puppets, painting them, developing character voices spoken and sung, manipulating the puppets while cueing the orchestra, learning ancient Javanese and contemporary Balinese and Bahasa languages, learning Balinese histories and Hindu mythology, including the Ramayana and the Mahabarata; playing the gender music, improvising during a performance in relation to the event, and functioning as a kind of priest/entertainer.
Our month-long study gives us just a taste of this art--our students each design and create a puppet, learn the basic accompanying music, and practice manipulating the puppets. Students also become part of the family life in a Balinese compound, and are invited to temple ceremonies where they are expected to dress in appropriate temple gear. (Photo: Wayan Mardika with his 3 children, and students Jodi Gilbert, Kajsa Ingemansson, Tom Jones, Joani Rose).
No comments:
Post a Comment