I took the photo during a wayang wong performance in Yogyakarta’s Kraton – the Sultan‘s palace complex.
Yogyakarta, in south-central Java, is the only Indonesian region where the local monarch (its Sultan) is thereby the actual regional head of government.
Yogyakarta’s “royal” form of wayang wong – aka wayang orang, which literally translates as “human wayang” or “human puppet” – has a long history, and is highly refined/stylised.
Its “characters” are played by human dancers/actors, but their performance style is more than slightly akin to that of the puppets they have supplanted.
This very “complete” art form combines narrative drama (drawn from Hindu epics) with highly formal dance, accompanied by refined music which is always played and sung, “live”.
In 2024 it is truly a “popular” art form, locally…and a tourist attraction too; both were evident in the composition and behaviour of the audience on the morning of 19 October.
Future, multi-image posts will show and tell much more.
If you wish to know and see much more right now, this link will deliver a vivid, well-informed account of the Yogyakarta version of wayang wong/wayang orang.
Comments