Javanese Shadow Puppet theater is an ancient form of storytelling focusing on stories of Indian Epics and old Javanese. This form of entertainment is run by one Dhalang, or puppeteer. The puppeteer makes his own puppets, is responsible for knowing countless amounts of stories, understand relationships between characters, and know each characters pseudonyms. A master puppeteer can make figures dance, fight, walk, and appear to show expressions such as laughing, crying, and nodding.
At a puppet show audience may be permitted to sit around the entire stage, this includes behind the dhalang. The dhalang sits in front of a light box to make the shadows, while next to him sits another box known as the kepyuk. The kepyuk is played by the dhalang to cue the gamelon that is stationed to the side of the screen. The gamelon is responsible for all music including the beginning talu, or instrumental overture, as well as music at other points throughout the entire show. Shows can last all night long, with most lasting from 8 or 9pm to 4 or 5am.
In this video you can see and hear the dhalang performing a shadow puppet show. The gamelon is playing in the background in coordination with the show. You can also see the puppeteers apprentice handing off different puppets to the dhalang.
This video is what a typical gamelon would look like for a show, as well as a great example of a talu to open a puppet show.
In this video we see views of a typical show from both the dhalang side as well as the shadow side of the screen.
This video shows both the viewing and making of puppets. Puppets are all hand made from rawhide and can take months to finish.
The view from directly behind the dhalang shows exactly how much the puppet master works to manipulate the movement of each puppet.
Wayang, The Javanese Puppet Show | Java Indonesia. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2016, from http://www.javaindonesia.org/art-culture/wayang-javanese-puppet-show/
Your video of making of the puppets is incredible!!! The Precision and detail he puts in every single puppet is amazing. They're not just puppets there incredible pieces of art.
ReplyDeleteI could not imagine spending so much time detailing the puppets!
DeleteI agree that they are incredibly made.
It is amazing to me how skilled the dhalang must be. The knowledge it takes to be able to improvise stories as well as the musical intuition to cue the gamelan and communicate an improvised plan. Crazy.
ReplyDeleteThe physical skills of manipulating puppets and cueing the ensemble is impressive along with being able to perform for so long so consistently. The idea of being a professional story-teller is really cool though. The dhalang is basically the director, composer, screen writer, and actors of a Javanese "movie". So cool!
ReplyDeleteIts crazy how in sync the Dhalang and the Gamelan are. The amount of time they spend performing together must be immense. Cues were perfect and the coordinated musical moments lined up perfectly with the Dhalangs puppetry. impressive.
ReplyDeleteI'm most interested here in the making of the puppets themselves. The fact that each puppet is so detailed even though they may of may not even be seen by the audiences is crazy to me, especially coupled with the fact that there each Dhalang has so many of them.
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