Topeng Dance

Topeng (from ; ; ) is a dramatic form of Indonesian dance in which one or more mask-wearing ornately costumed performers interpret traditional narratives concerning fabled kings, heroes, and myths, accompanied by gamelan or other traditional music instruments. Topeng dance is a typical Indonesian dance that can be found in various regions of Indonesia. Topeng dance has the main characteristic that the dancers use masks to cover their faces. The dance will usually be performed by one dancer or a group of dancers.

Topeng is widely used in dances that are part of traditional ceremonies or the retelling of ancient stories from the ancestors. It is believed that topeng is closely related to ancestral spirits, which are considered to be the interpretations of gods. In some tribes, topeng still adorns various daily artistic and customary activities. Topeng dance is a dance performance filled with meaningful symbols that are expected to be understood by the audience. These symbols are conveyed through the colors of the masks, the expressions of the masks, and the accompanying music. The meaning conveyed can be in the form of leadership values, love, wisdom, and many others expressed through the medium of dance movements.

In 2010, Topeng Cirebon from Cirebon, West Java was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.

Etymology

The term ''topeng'' is the Javanese word for "mask" or "dance-drama that uses the mask". In modern daily Javanese and Indonesian vocabulary, ''tari topeng'' or "topeng dance" refers to a dance or dance-drama performance that uses a mask.

History

Indonesian masked dance predates Hindu-Buddhist influences. Native Indonesian tribes still perform traditional masked-dances to represent nature, as the Hudoq dance of the Dayak people of Kalimantan, or to represent ancestor spirits. With the arrival of Hinduism in the archipelago, the ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'' epics began to be performed in masked-dance.

The oldest known record that concerns ''Topeng dance'' is from the ninth century. Around 840 AD an Old Javanese (Kawi) inscriptions called Jaha Inscriptions issued by Maharaja Sri Lokapala form Medang Kingdom in Central Java mentions three sorts of performers: atapukan, aringgit, and abanol. ''Atapukan'' means Mask dance show, ''Aringgit'' means Wayang puppet show, and ''abanol'' means joke art.

On the inscription of Candi Perot (850 AD), the word "manapel" is written from the word "tapuk" or "tapel" which means mask. On the Bebetin inscription (896 AD) there is the word "patapukan" which means a mask association. In the Mantiasih inscription (904 AD) there are the terms "matapukan" and "manapukan" which means that they relate to the drama presentation of masks.

The most popular storyline of ''topeng'' dance, however, is derived from the locally developed Javanese Panji cycles, based on the tales and romance of Prince Panji and Princess Chandra Kirana, set in the 12th-century Kadiri kingdom.

One of the earliest written records of ''topeng'' dance is also found in the 14th-century poem ''Nagarakretagama'', which describes King Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit — wearing a golden mask — as an accomplished ''topeng'' dancer. The current ''topeng'' dance form arose in the 15th century in Java and Bali where it remains prevalent, but it is also found in other Indonesian islands — such as Madura (near East Java). Various ''topeng'' dances and styles have developed in various places in the Indonesian archipelago, notably in Cirebon, Yogyakarta, Malang, and Bali. The well-developed ''topeng'' technique is now studied in universities in Europe and America.

Variations

Balinese ''topeng''

It is believed that the use of masks is related to the cult of the ancestors, which considered dancers the interpreters of the gods. ''Topeng'' performances open with a series of non-speaking masked characters that may not be related to the story to be performed. These traditional masks often include ''Topeng Manis'' (a refined hero), ''Topeng Kras'' (a martial, authoritarian character), and ''Topeng Tua'' (an old man who may joke and draw out the audience).

The story is narrated from a ''penasar'', a jawless half-mask that enables the actor to speak clearly. In group ''topeng'', there are usually two ''penasars'' providing two points of view. The performance alternates between speaking and non-speaking characters and can include dance and fight sequences as well as special effects (sometimes provided by the gamelan). It is almost always wrapped up by a series of comic characters introducing their views. The narrators and comic characters frequently break Western conventions of storytelling by including current events or local gossip to get a laugh.

In ''topeng'', there is a conscious attempt to include many, sometimes contradictory, aspects of the human experience: the sacred and the profane, beauty and ugliness, refinement and caricature. A detailed description and analysis of ''topeng pajegan'', the one-man form of ''topeng'', is available in ''Masked Performance'' by John Emigh, a Western theater professor who has become a performer of Balinese ''topeng''.

File:Tari Topeng at Bangli, Bali.jpg, Topeng Tua
File:Bali-Danse 0710a.jpg, Topeng Telek
File:Bersiap Untuk Menampilkan Tarian Topeng Sidakarya.jpg, Topeng Sidakarya

Banjarese ''topeng''

The ''topeng'' also calls ''topeng barikin'' from South Kalimantan.

Batak ''topeng''

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Batak maskerdans tijdens een dodenfeest TMnr 60045322.jpg, Batak masked dance during the festival of the dead, circa 1930
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Batak maskerdans tijdens een dodenfeest TMnr 60045324.jpg, Topeng Batak
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Gemaskerde dansers Karolanden TMnr 10017909.jpg, Topeng Batak

Betawi ''topeng''

Betawi mask dance or ''tari topeng Betawi'' is a theatrical form of dance-drama of the Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia. This dance-drama encompasses dance, music, ''bebodoran'' (comedy) and ''lakon'' (drama). The Betawi mask dance demonstrates the theme of Betawi society life which is represented in the form of dance and drama. It is called mask dance because the dancers use ''topeng'' (mask) during dancing and Betawi people believed that the ''topeng'' has magical powers.

Sundanese & Cirebonese (West Java) ''topeng''

Cirebonese ''topeng'' dance is a local indigenous art form of Cirebon in Java, including Indramayu and Jatibarang, West Java, and Brebes, Central Java. There is a lot of variety in Cirebon mask dance, both in terms of the dance style and the stories to be conveyed. The mask dance can be performed by solo dancers or it can be performed by several people. Graceful hand and body movements, and musical accompaniment dominated by drums and fiddle, are hallmarks of the art form. Cirebon mask dance might depict the story of Prince Panji from 15th-century East Java, or another Majapahit story. ''Topeng Klana Kencana Wungu'' is a Cirebon mask dance in the Parahyangan mask style that depicts the story of Queen Kencana Wungu of Majapahit being chased by the grotesque and rough King Minak Jingga of Blambangan. The Sundanese ''topeng kandaga'' dance is similar to and influenced by Cirebon ''topeng'', where the dancers wear red masks and costumes.

File:Tari Topeng Cirebon.jpg, Topeng Panji
File:Topeng Kandaga Saung Angklung Udjo.JPG, Topeng Cirebon Performance
File:Wajah topeng.jpg, Topeng Klana

Dayak ''topeng''

''Hudoq'' is a masked dance performed during the Erau harvest Thanksgiving festival of many sub-groups of the Dayak ethnic group of East Kalimantan province, Indonesia. The ''Hudoq'' culture and performance are indigenous among the Dayak population of East Kalimantan province.

File:KITLV - 25784 - Demmeni, J. - Mask Dance of Kayan men on the Bloeoe River, Upper Mahakam, Central Borneo, on the occasion of the seed sowing festival. The entire body is covered with frayed Pinang palm leaves - 1896-09-01.tif, Hudoq Dance Performance in Upper Mahakam River, Borneo, Dutch East Indies circa 1896.
File:The Hudoq Dancers.jpg, Topeng Hudoq
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Maskerdans tijdens de zaaifeesten van de Bahau Dajaks Boven-Mahakam TMnr 60001698.jpg, Topeng Hudoq

Javanese ''topeng''

Malangan ''topeng''

In East Java, ''topeng'' dance is called '' wayang gedog'' and is the best-known art form from East Java's Malang Regency. ''Wayang gedog'' theatrical performances include themes from the Panji cycle stories from the kingdom of Janggala, and the players wear masks known as ''wayang topeng'' or ''wayang gedog''. The word ''gedog'' comes from ''kedok'' which, like ''topeng'', means "mask".

These performances center on a love story about Princess Candra Kirana of Kediri and Raden Panji Asmarabangun, the legendary crown prince of Janggala. Candra Kirana was the incarnation of Dewi Ratih (the Hindu goddess of love) and Panji was an incarnation of Kamajaya (the Hindu god of love). Kirana's story has been given the title '' Smaradahana'' ("The fire of love"). At the end of the complicated story they finally marry and bring forth a son named Raja Putra.

File:Menari Topeng Malang.jpg, Malangan ''topeng'' mass dance
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajang topeng voorstelling TMnr 60008622.jpg, ''Topeng'' in '' wayang gedog'' performance
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een wajang wong voorstelling bij de regent van Malang TMnr 10017908.jpg, Wayang topeng Malang

Surakartan ''topeng''

The ''topeng'' of the Surakarta Sunanate court is similar in style and theme to the Yogyakarta variants. Differences are seen in the craftmanship of masks; facial hair is represented with hair or fibre, while the Yogyakarta style uses black paint. Similarly to Yogyakarta, the Sukarta ''topeng punakawan'' (jester) often uses a jawless half-mask.

Yogyakartan ''topeng''

In Yogyakarta tradition, the mask dance is part of ''wayang wong'' performances. Composed and created by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I (1755–1792), certain characters such as the ''wanara'' (monkey) and ''denawa'' (giant) in ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'' use masks, while the knight and princesses do not wear masks. The ''punakawan'' (jester) might use a half-mask (a mask without a jaw) so he can speak freely and clearly. Significantly here, the mustache is painted in black. The Topeng Klono Alus, Topeng Klono Gagah, and Topeng Putri Kenakawulan dances are classical Yogyakarta court dances derived from the story of Raden Panji from the 15th-century Majapahit legacy. The Klono Alus Jungkungmandeya and Klono Gagah Dasawasisa are masked dances adapted from ''Mahabharata'' stories.

Gallery

File:TARI TOPENG UNDUH PAWITRA.jpg
File:Tarian kidung tengger.jpg
File:Topeng Kandaga Saung Angklung Udjo.JPG
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Batak maskerdans tijdens een dodenfeest TMnr 60045324.jpg
File:Bebegig Baladewa.jpg
File:Tari Topeng Endel.jpg
File:Tari Topeng Malangan 3.jpg
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De neushoornvogeldans door Batak dansers met maskers TMnr 10004574.jpg

Pembuat tapel barong dan topeng.jpg
Pembuat Topeng.jpg
Hall of topeng malang.jpg
Topeng Bali in Wayang Museum.JPG
File:Javanese mask 1901 no 1.jpg
File:Javanese mask 1901 no 2.jpg
File:Javanese mask 1901 no 3.jpg
File:Javanese mask 1901 no 4.jpg
Bruxelles Java Masque Wayang 02 10 2011 02.jpg
Bruxelles Java Masque Wayang 02 10 2011 01.jpg
WLA haa Javanese Mask.jpg
Java Maske Arya Gunungsari Museum Rietberg RIN 214.jpg

See also

* ''Barong'' dance
* Bedhaya
* Dance of Indonesia
* Balinese dance
* Javanese dance

References

Sources

*

External links

Information on ''topeng'' dances from the program notes of a performance in Glasgow in 2003
(archived 19 December 2005)

Various examples of Indonesian ''topeng'' masks
.

{{Indonesian drama and theatre

Dances of Indonesia
Theatre of Indonesia
Traditional drama and theatre of Indonesia
Masked dances
Masquerade ceremonies in Asia