Bali, pulau dewata
LEGONG
Bali, the Island of Gods, with its rich and invaluable cultural heritage of dances, music, literature, architecture, and legendary figures. Lontar and Legong are second to none in this world. Balinese Lontar notes down various traditional art, such as Aji Prakempa, Aji Tabeh-tabehan, Dharma Pagambuhan, Dharma Pawayangan, and many others. And in this episode of UNBOXING HERITAGE, we will look at Matahari Legong as the embodiment of SATYAM or purity, SIWAM or truth, and SINDARAN or beauty, the basis of Balinese performance
Bali is an island of paradise with the sun never stop shining and where beauty, nature, culture and the vision embrace you with welcoming arm
When I visited Bali, I felt like I want to stay there for hundreds of days, for thousands of weeks.
I want to stay in that island of paradise as long as possible. Because I want to learn all the niche experiences and fantastic activities that Bali can offer me.
I want to learn how to paint, how to carve, but most importantly, I want to learn the Balinese dance, Legong
Legong dance teachers or panguruk coming from different places all went to Legong masters in Sukawati, such as Mr. Lotering from Kuta, Ms. Reneng and Ida Bagus Boda from Denpasar, Gusti Djelantik from Saba, and Biyang Sengong and Anak Agung Mandera from Peliatan. The classical Legong is still well preserved in Teges village, Saba, and Peliatan, whilst modern Legong is developing in various location within and outside of Bali.
Matahari Legong was created in the mid 19th century by King I Dewa Agung Made Krisna from Sukawati Kingdom in his meditation at Yoga Agung pura (red. temple) in Katewel village in Sukawati. In his dream, the King saw angels dancing gracefully in paradise full of beauty. He then instructed Jhro Made Tengah, the customary official, to compose a new dance, Tari Topeng Bidadari or Tapel Dadari, which would pioneer Matahari Legong. Other historical resources mention that Legong dance movement was created from the ancient dance of the sacred Sang Hyang that narrates the story of Gambuh or Malat from the Panji story.
The word Legong comes from the word ‘Leg’ which means flexible and elastic, and ‘Gong’ which means accompanying music. Legong dance used to be danced strictly by female teenagers between the age of 13 to 14-year-olds who were presumed to be flexible and attractive. Legong poetically tells a story through its graceful movements following the beats of the kendang (red. drum) and gong.
As tourism in Bali started to grow in the 20s and 30s, Legong dance made its way to international audience.
A French statesman George Benjamin Clemenceau visited Bali. He saw the Legong dance with new costumes and new leather ornamentation, and all came in full display as a celebration.
There were foreigners having relationships with Legong dancers, most famously Adrien Jean le Majeur, a Belgian painter who lived in Denpasar and Sanur from 1932 to 1958. His wife was a Legong dancer called Ni Nyoman Pollok.
Indonesians themselves embrace the Legong dance, and not only Balinese, but Javanese as well. For example, there was a performance group called Dardanella that came to Bali in 1932. The head of the group, Piedro, instructed one of the dancers, Suratna Asmara to learn the Legong dance with a dancer who performed in France in 1931. Suratna studied for quite a while that he was able to compose three free-style dances, Legong, Durga, and Garuda. These were performed as extra numbers in between the scenes. There was also a play entitled Fatimah, based on a novel by Sir Rider Haggard, that featured three of these dances.
.:: THE STORY ::.
Om swastiastu, my name is Anak Agung Gde Oka Dalem. I was born in Kaleran temple, Peliatan from my late father, Anak Agung Gde Ngurah Mandera, and my mother Jero Wiraga. I teach dance and percussion art at Balerung Mandera Srinertya Waditra to contribute in preserving my cultural heritage. There was a decade where Palegongan flourished in Peliatan. In year 1931, it looks like this, or perhaps a bit smoother. In year 1952 it was even smoother; in the 1960s you started to see more excitement; in 1971 it was made more dynamic, with the presence of a checker. Currently, the simple movements like this are now danced with more vigor. Everything flows, with adjustments here and there, these are happening in Peliatan.
Biyang Bulan is my sister, she has several nicknames. You may call her Biyang Bulan, Bulan Trisna, and indeed her given name is Bulan Trisna, and myself and the family call her Trisna.
Trisna learned various types of dances since she was little, such as Oleg dance and Baris dance from Balinese maestros when she was 7. She really wanted to learn Legong and that finally led us here in Peliatan where we saw the fascinating Legon Kraton. We gathered, I wasn’t very much involved at that time, but I did learn a little, and with our father we gathered with a community from Anak Agung Madera Puri Kaleran in Peliatan who were studying Legong too. There was a teacher, called Biyang Sengong who focused on teaching the technical movements and gestures of Legong Peliatan at Puri Kaleran in Peliatan. Biyang Sengong and Anak Agung Gde Mandera were the two figures who were tirelessly introducing Peliatan-style Legong to the wider audience.
This dance is identical to Biyang, because Biyang was known as a proficient Condong dancer and Gowa dancer since she was little, and even when she was 70 year old she still danced this part. Although she learned other dances, and was also known as Oleg dancer, Trunajaya dancer, but she kept a special part in her heart for Legong. She truly loved Legong because it took her places since she was little. Her enormous love for Legong brought her a MURI award as the longest running Condong dancer, from the age of 7 to around 55 year old, she never stopped, never gone into pension.
Ibu Bulantrisna masters Legong Peliatan style because she really poured her life into it. She came to learn at the Peliatan Village. Dancing skill matters, but the environment also helps to build the individual expression and character. She used to practice along to my father’s kendang and Gunungsari gong, sometimes three times a day. This is me dancing the Peliatan-style Legong. Aside from dancing Legong, the Condong dancer is also an Oleg Tambulilingan dancer, who used to partner with my sister and they used to dance in the Tampaksiring State Palace.
The gamelan accompanying Legong Dance is Smara Patangian or Smara Awungu with Pasendon gending (red. song) based on the beautiful Semara Pagulingan gamelan.
Basic gesture and physical aesthetics of Legong or adeg-adeg are divided into leg position, body position, hand position, and head position.
.:: GALLERY ::.
