Note of the National Performing Arts Festival 2003

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Traditional Indonesian Arts in Discourse Diversity

By Sahrul N

Indonesian territory that is rich with islands and tribes, is also rich with the kinds of traditional arts. Traditional art forms that have been established and is closely related to the strength of tradition is the vitality of art depends on the greatness of the culture and structure of society and culture that supports it. Traditional art (traditional arts) could not be separated from the environment menghidupinya. Repertoire of the show is local people and the mythology that developed in the area concerned. Social attitudes still influenced by supporters of environmental culture, the ancestral beliefs and so forth.

The foregoing appear in the National Performing Arts Festival 2003 (FNSP 2003) on December 19 to 21 October 2003 at STSI Padangpanjang, West Sumatra. This event was attended by 20 of the Province, but it appears in the catalog only 15 of the Province, namely Banten, East Kalimantan, East Java, Southeast Sulawesi, Yogyakarta, North Sumatra, Riau, Babylon, East Nusa Tenggara, Lampung, West Sumatera, Aceh, South Sumatra, Jambi, and West Java. FNSP 2003 was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in enrich the V Congress of Culture in Bukittinggi. Of the 20 performances was elected five best performers of Aceh, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali and Papua. While a viewer favorite Jabar achieved by delegates.

In the tradition of artists will be creating an existentialist figures. Basic philosophy and outlook on life that horizontal and innocent. But in a kind of innocence there would be a fanatical arrogance against him. Generally, traditional arts play its part believes strongly in the existence of a character being played. This can be seen from the appearance of Yogyakarta messengers related to beliefs that exist within the artist. Attitude to adjust to the role and the play is the perfect choice for traditional artists, not to empty ourselves to cultivate awareness and be anything. Influential for artists of traditional arts is the opposite of the attitude that is derived from outside elements.

Traditional art is a charm or in terms of Putu Wijaya "Taksu". "Power in" on a player who has the power to create a magnetic charisma. Because Taksu, a player can conquer the audience in total. In a spectacle that is displayed by the delegates in Bali, the players like gods who can do anything on stage. Even the mistakes had to be right, if they did it. In the hands of their plots to be dead.

Traditional art belongs to the community. The audience willingly berkilo path-pound just to watch a puppet whose story actually they already know. They already know that the Pandavas are bound to win in the Mahabharata story, because they've watched it many times.

What are the traditional arts of Bali and Java will be different from traditional art in Minangkabau. Randai is a Minangkabau traditional arts which put the story. Forms for those not so important. Minangkabau traditional art has a philosophy that is "seriously in play." Stock spectacle (spektacle) did not become an important element.

Actually, in traditional art, there is no demand to focus attention on the spectacle. Viewers may come too late and fro, leaving a seat without making the other spectators grumbled. In fact there were performances of traditional arts that have no seats for spectators. Attendance is okay to sit where he likes. Attendance at times become part of the gig, because they are often given a speech or response to a gig, either whistling or ridicule. Enjoy performances of traditional arts can also chat with friends while sitting, smoking, eating peanuts and others. They are so relaxed and they play in the leisure seriously.

But what happened in 2003 is no longer FNSP such a long tradition, but has become an elite spectacle. They gather in one room air conditioned, neatly bench, modern lighting. Attendance should not be smoking, eating peanuts and so forth. This is indeed cause the distance between art and audience that once this is never done. They should appear in a free arena in which art can be fused with the audience. FNSP 2003 seemed like any art made for the kings who adopted the system of aristocracy.

Relaxed atmosphere and togetherness in the traditional art performances was when performances are held in rural communities the majority of the audience was ordinary. Will be different case if the dipementasan staging in the royal palace, the relaxed atmosphere and camaraderie will be lost. Influence of attitudes manners, in the court order making it a changing atmosphere. So also happened in FNSP 2003.

Artaud in his book Theatre and its double includes an article about the theater of Bali. Artaud appreciate the true Balinese dances seen in an exhibition in Paris. According to Artaud's acting and the staging is not enough merely seen as serving the symbols of the language that is confidential and is not visible. Traditional art is pure theater where between similar concepts and their realization. So traditional art leads to the totality of play that are not owned by European and American art.

Traditional art or art area includes things that are emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually. In enjoying the spectacle, the people feel involved, if there was a frightening scene, the audience also felt scared. So also with scenes of fun, sadness and others who make the audience was also dissolved in the feeling. Traditional art performances also provide nourishment to the soul, because in it contains the religious teachings, customs, philosophy of life depicted by artists in the struggle against evil. This makes the audience think and judge what is good and what is bad.

Also has a unique traditional arts, such as the traditional arts of Bali are almost no scenes that have nothing to dance. Everything is expressed through a unique dance, so the traditional arts of Bali are often also referred to the ballet. In Minangkabau, traditional arts such as Randai unique characterizations. A grandfather or grandmother did not have to describe such grandparent figure in the daily reality. He simply called grandpa or grandma will be his grandfather or grandmother, even though he looked like a human teenager. ***