As it is a country with many different tribes and ethnic groups, the music of Indonesia itself is also very diverse, coming in hundreds of different forms and styles. Every region has its own culture and art, and as a result traditional music from area to area also uniquely differs from one another. For example, each traditional music are often accompanied by their very own dance and theatre. Contemporary music scene have also been heavily shaped by various foreign influences, such as America, Britain, Japan, Korea, and India.
Wayang, also known as wajang, is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. Wayang refers to the entire dramatic show. Sometimes the leather puppet itself is referred to as wayang. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a gamelan orchestra in Java, and by gender wayang in Bali. The dramatic stories depict mythologies, such as episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as well as local adaptations of cultural legends. Traditionally, a wayang is played out in a ritualized midnight-to-dawn show by a dalang, an artist and spiritual leader; people watch the show from both sides of the screen.
Cirebon is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is the only coastal city of West Java, located about 40 km west of the provincial border with Central Java, approximately 297 km (185 mi) east of Jakarta, at 6°43′S108°34′E. It had a population of 296,389 at the 2010 census and 333,303 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 341,980.
Topeng 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.
Betawi people, or Batavians, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the city of Jakarta and its immediate outskirts, as such often described as the native inhabitants of the city. They are the descendants of the people who inhabited Batavia from the 17th century onwards.
Wayang wong, also known as wayang orang, is a type of classical Javanese and Balinese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of the Ramayāna or Mahabharāta. Performances are stylised, reflecting Javanese court culture:
Wayang wong dance drama in the central Javanese Kraton of Yogyakarta represents the epitome of Javanese aesthetic unity. It is total theatre involving dance, drama, music, visual arts, language, and literature. A highly cultured sense of formality permeates every aspect of its presentation.
Cirebon Regency is a regency (kabupaten) of West Java Province of Indonesia. The town of Sumber is its capital. It covers 1,076.76 km2 and had a population of 2,068,116 at the 2010 census and 2,270,621 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 2,360,441. These area and population figures exclude those of Cirebon City, which is an independent administration, although totally surrounded by the regency on its landward side.
Jagakarsa is the southernmost district in the administrative city of South Jakarta, Indonesia. Jagakarsa is bounded by Ciliwung River to the east, Krukut River to the west, and Margasatwa-Sagu-Joe-T.B.Simatupang-Poltangan Road to the north, while the boundary marches with Depok city to the south.
Balinese dance is an ancient dance tradition that is part of the religious and artistic expression among the Balinese people of Bali island, Indonesia. Balinese dance is dynamic, angular, and intensely expressive. Balinese dancers express the stories of dance-drama through bodily gestures including gestures of fingers, hands, head, and eyes.
Dance in Indonesia reflects the country's diversity of ethnicities and cultures. There are more than 1,300 ethnic groups in Indonesia. Austronesian roots and Melanesian tribal forms are visible, and influences ranging from neighboring Asian and even western styles through colonization. Each ethnic group has its own dances: there are more than 3,000 original dance forms in Indonesia. The old traditions of dance and drama are being preserved in the numerous dance schools which flourish not only in the courts but also in the modern, government-run or supervised art academies.
Ondel-ondel is a large puppet figure featured in the Betawi folk performance in Jakarta, Indonesia. As an icon of Jakarta, ondel-ondel is often utilized as a pair for livening up festivals or welcoming guests of honor. It is one of a few Indonesian folk performances that has survived modernization and is still being regularly performed.
Cirebonese mask dance is a local indigenous art form of Cirebon in Java, including Indramayu and Jatibarang, West Java and Brebes, Central Java. It is called mask dance because the dancers use masks when dancing. There is a lot of variety in Javanese mask dance, both in terms of the dance style and the stories to be conveyed. This mask dance can be performed by solo dancers, or performed by several people.
Piring dance is a traditional Minangkabau plate dance originated and performed in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is also performed in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The dance might be performed by a group of women, men, or couples; each of whom holds a plate in each hand, and vigorously rotates or half rotates them in various formations and fast movements.
Payung dance is a folk dance-drama tradition of the Minangkabau-Malay ethnic group in Sumatra, Indonesia. This dance is a Minangkabau version of other Malay dances from Sumatra. Folk theatre such as toneel and sandiwara often incorporate payung dance as part of the show. The payung (umbrella) is the main prop used in this dance. The payung dance symbolizes affection and the relationship of young people and is usually performed by three or four dancers. The dance originates from Western Sumatra, Indonesia.
Indonesian theatre is a type of art in the form of drama performances that are staged on a stage, with a distinct Indonesian nuance or background. In general, theatre is an art that emphasizes the performing arts that are displayed in front of a large crowd. In other words, theater is a form of visualisation of a drama that is staged on the stage and watched by the audience. Indonesian theatre includes the performing arts of traditional theater and modern theatre located in the territory of Indonesia. Some examples of Indonesian theater are Arja, Wayang, Wayang wong, Lenong, Ludruk, Janger, Randai and others. Theatre in Indonesia can also be referred to as regional or ethnic theatre, because it originates and develops from 1,300 ethnic cultures in Indonesia.
Yapong dance is a Betawi dance, originating from Jakarta, Indonesia. This dance depicts the association of young people created by the artist Bagong Kussudiardja. The Yapong dance was performed for the first time to enliven Jakarta's 450th anniversary event in 1977.
Banjar Mask Dance is a local indigenous art form of Banjar in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is called mask dance because the dancers use masks (Topeng) when dancing. This dance is usually played for sacred ceremonies, such as the manyanggar ceremony. The ceremony is a ritual to clean inherited equipment, treat supernatural diseases, give thanks after harvesting, cleansing the village of evil spirits, and ask for protection from disasters. The Banjar mask dance will be performed in the form of a wayang wong, where the dancers will wear masks and are accompanied by a set of gamelan salendro.
Ireng mask dance also known as Topeng Ireng or Dayakan is a traditional Javanese art that developed in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia.
Mimi Rasinah (1930–2010) was a performance artist and dancer best known for her work as a Cirebonese master of the Indonesian mask dance Topeng. At 72, she was called out of retirement to star in an internationally distributed documentary film titled Rasinah: The Enchanted Mask.
