Wayang Kulit
Origin:
The term Wayang is the Japanese word for shadow, or Bayang in Indonesian and Malay. In modern Javanese and Indonesian vocabulary, Wayang is often associated with the puppet itself or the whole puppet theatre performance.
History:
Wayang is a general term meaning traditional theatre in Indonesia. This art was imported from India or China, both of which have a long tradition of shadow puppetry and theatre in general. However, there very well may have been ingenious storytelling traditions that had a big impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre.
Wayang Kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen. The plays are based on romantic tales, especially the classic Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Some of the plays are also based on local happening or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or dalang or puppeteer to decide his direction.
The dalang is the narrator for the entire performance. He sits behind the screen and narrates the story. With a traditional orchestra in the background to provide a melody and its conventional rhythm, the dalang changes his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama.
Wayang today is both the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theatre in the world. Hundreds of people will stay up all night long to watch the superstar performers, dalang.
Spiritual Significance
The wayang kulit art form may be over 800 years old. The fact that the story is told using shadows is very important since moving shadows can be seen but never touched. One belief was that the souls of the ancestors were brought to life as shadows that provided advice and support. So wayang kulit performances have a spiritual and magical significance for Javanese and Balinese
The term Wayang is the Japanese word for shadow, or Bayang in Indonesian and Malay. In modern Javanese and Indonesian vocabulary, Wayang is often associated with the puppet itself or the whole puppet theatre performance.
History:
Wayang is a general term meaning traditional theatre in Indonesia. This art was imported from India or China, both of which have a long tradition of shadow puppetry and theatre in general. However, there very well may have been ingenious storytelling traditions that had a big impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre.
Wayang Kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen. The plays are based on romantic tales, especially the classic Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Some of the plays are also based on local happening or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or dalang or puppeteer to decide his direction.
The dalang is the narrator for the entire performance. He sits behind the screen and narrates the story. With a traditional orchestra in the background to provide a melody and its conventional rhythm, the dalang changes his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama.
Wayang today is both the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theatre in the world. Hundreds of people will stay up all night long to watch the superstar performers, dalang.
Spiritual Significance
The wayang kulit art form may be over 800 years old. The fact that the story is told using shadows is very important since moving shadows can be seen but never touched. One belief was that the souls of the ancestors were brought to life as shadows that provided advice and support. So wayang kulit performances have a spiritual and magical significance for Javanese and Balinese