Guardian of Malang’s ‘Wayang Topeng’

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

M Soleh Adipramono

Any discussion on Malang’s wayang topeng (masked dance) theatrical art also means talking about the life’s work of M Soleh Adipramono, 67. In his twilight years, Soleh continues his work in keeping the art form alive. The master hopes that the art form will not die with him, and that the younger generation will take up the reins of its preservation.

On Sunday (22/7/2018) in the main hall of his dimly lit dance studio in Kemulan hamlet of Tulus Besar village, Tumpang district, Malang regency, East Java, the man affectionately called Ki Soleh was speaking about the rebab and siter traditional string instruments. He linked the two string instruments to the reliefs of the Jajaghu (Jago) temple, some 1.5 kilometers away.

Before him, around a dozen young participants sat on the floor. They listened closely to their instructor’s words. That day, Ki Soleh was a speaker at a discussion themed “Tracing the History of String Instruments”, held as part of the 4th Nusantara String Festival. The small discussion became even more delightful when Ki Soleh sang a Javanese song to the accompaniment of sape, a Dayak musical instrument.

Ki Soleh’s days are filled with the arts. Apart from his work as a choreographer and dance teacher at the Padepokan Mangun Dharma dance studio, which he founded in 1989, Ki Soleh also often speaks at discussions in Malang and other regions. As his schedule is often full, it is difficult to arrange a meeting with him.

His studio in the western foothills of Mt. Semeru often receives visitors that wish to learn about wayang topeng, including local and international students and artists. Foreign visitors have come from around the world, such as Australia, the Netherlands, Tibet, the United Kingdom and the United States.

A number of foreign students studying at universities in Malang also visit Ki Soleh’s studio. “These days, my adopted son Bambang Supriono manages most of the dance lessons at my studio. I am involved in the performances,” he said.

Ki Soleh said he currently has 600 students, many of whom are local children who learn for free. They study dance as well as other traditional arts, including kuda lumping (horse dance), bantengan (bull dance), pedalangan (puppeteering) and karawitan (traditional music).

Aside from dance, Ki Soleh’s days are filled with making wayang masks as tourist souvenirs. Tumpang, a small town located 15 kilometers east of Malang, is a transit point for tourists and hikers headed to Mt. Bromo and Mt. Semeru.

Apart from wayang masks, Ki Soleh also makes wayang puppets. “One of the wayang puppets produced here is now in a museum in New York. It is the Dewi Sri wayang,” he said.

Family of artists

Ki Soleh has been involved in the local arts scene since he was just a small boy. His grandfather, Ki Rusman, was also a wayang topeng master performer and established a local wayang topeng community in 1916-1918. His uncle, Ki Tirtonoto, was a dalang (wayang puppet master) and a lecturer at the Surabaya Karawitan Conservatory. His father Sapari was also a dalang.

It was his uncle who spread wayang topeng to other areas in eastern Malang, including Jabung, Tamiajeng, Glagahdowo and the Tengger mountain range. Traces of the art form remain in these areas, but it shines brightest at Ki Soleh’s Padepokan Mangun Dharma.

KOMPAS/DEFRI WERDIONO

M Soleh Adipramono (center)

Growing up in a family of artists, Ki Soleh has mastered many traditional arts. “I learned about wayang topeng and wayang puppeteering from my uncle,” said Ki Soleh, who has received numerous awards, including the 2000 Creative Artist Award from the East Java Governor, the 2017 Wayang Topeng Performance Award from the Yogyakarta Cultural Agency and the Dalang Festival Award at the 1997 East Java Wayang Week.

Although he grew up surrounded by artists, Ki Soleh said he only became interested in learning about traditional dance in 1969, when he was in junior high school. He had been dancing since he was little. However, because his mother lived in Wates hamlet, Wonomulyo village, Poncokusumo district, which did not support the traditional arts, his hidden talent only emerged when he moved to Kemulan hamlet, where his dance studio is located.

It was in Kemulan that he truly became a master of the Malang wayang topeng. At first, the wayang topeng mostly performed tales from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Menak. Ki Soleh focused his wayang topeng performances on the tales of Panji Asmorobangun, a local ancient text. His performances may tell the tale of Panji’s birth, Panji’s marriage and the sodo lanang competition. He adapts the tales in his performances to the context of the performance.

Performing ‘blind’

Ki Soleh said that learning wayang topeng was difficult. “Your eyes are closed and you cannot open your mouth to speak. Wayang topeng is about letting the ancestral spirits dance [through you]. Dancers only serve as physical mediums while the masks represent the ancestral spirits. Combining the spirit [of the dead] with the living dancers is difficult,” he said.

Apart from such challenges, the changing times pose another major challenge in preserving wayang topeng. Today’s youth, especially boys, are often embarrassed about learning the traditional dance forms. Many prefer “loud” entertainment, such as contemporary Western music. However, Ki Soleh said he believed all of them would turn to the traditional arts in time.

“This is where schools and studios are important. They teach traditional arts. The creators are key. We need to manage the art form so that we can produce highly qualified dancers,” Ki Soleh said.

Ki Soleh said he was optimistic that the wayang topeng would be preserved. The regeneration of wayang topeng artists would come. All four of his children and two adopted children (his biological nephews) love the art and can perform wayang topeng. One of them is now an art lecturer at Sebelas Maret State University in Surakarta. Another is pursuing a medical degree and another two are studying in the United States.

Malang State University historian M Dwi Cahyono said that Malang had two major centers of wayang topeng. Ki Soleh belonged to the Tengger-Semeru area of eastern Malang regency. The other was the Kawi-Kendeng area in southwestern Malang, where the Panji Asmorobangun dance studio stands in Karangpandan village, Pakisaji district.