Bandung - Wayang Golek Classes with Dalang Otong Rasta
From Yogya I moved to Western Java and Bandung, where I was able to study the traditional Javanese rod puppet style, wayang golek, with two different masters.
First I arranged to study with Dalang Otong Rasta, a retired puppeteer in his late 60’s who had not performed since 1994. He was a lovely man and highly skilled, but he did not seem to understand that I did not want to learn how to be a performer. What I wanted was to understand the art and technique of wayang golek in order to watch it with greater discrimination, understand the nuances of the performance and incorporate influences of the form into my own designs for puppetry.
Still, I persevered with Otong Rasta. In one class, I practiced some puppet walks. This demands more coordination and sense of rhythm than one may think. There are walks for specific archetypes, and they are set to their own rhythmic patterns. It has become clear to me that the performance of these puppets is very much choreographed. In order to understand the movements, I must try them on myself first. My sense of rhythm needed developing, but I was glad that I had participated in a drumming workshop back in the States and had some its benefits under my belt. Otong also taught me simple tunes to pick out on the seven-key gamelan. The experience of playing the instrument helped my performance a lot. I also tried the foot rattle. It’s a lot of fun and also a lot harder than I had thought since my "foot-brain coordination" leaves a lot to be desired! There are some ankle muscles that just wanted to move on their own. Otong has definitely made me understand clearly the dalang's total control over the performance. All tempi are set by him on this foot-operated instrument, not to mention that it can be the loudest and sharpest means of dramatic punctuation. So many muscles that I never even knew I had were called upon in the service of carving and performing in Indonesia. While frustrating, this was definitely an enlightening and broadening experience.
