Erland Setiawan, Shining through the ‘Tjap Arek Suroboio’ brand
By
DEFRI WERDIONO DAN AMBROSIUS HARTO
·6 minutes read
KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA
Erland Setiawan aka Roberts Bayonet
Ludruk, the performing art of Surabaya, East Java, is now in serious trouble or almost coming to extinction. In 1985, there were 58 active ludruk groups. However, two decades later only 14 groups are left. Fortunately, there are still young people who have not given up and continue to preserve it. One of them is Erland Setiawan alias Robets Bayoned, who preserve the art through Ludrukan Nom-noman Tjap Arek Suroboio (Luntas).
Luntas was established on Jan. 21, 2016. It is relatively young for a group. However, it has started to gain popularity especially among the young people. Slowly but surely, Luntas became part of the “ludruk revival” aiming at reviving the performing art from its comatose. At present, there are 10 active groups of 37 surviving ludruk groups. The groups are driven by young people.
Luntas offers attractions that can make an audience stay until the end of the show. Like Luntas (Indian camphorweed plant), the group is able to survive on hard and rocky soil. Luntas means tough plants.
The hard and rocky soil represents the challenge the group is facing today. If it does not change, ludruk will definitely be left behind, languishing, dying and then coming to end. Moreover, today’s young generation prefer to enjoy entertainment through their gadgets.
Can Ludruk survive? For the Luntas managers, the answer is yes. Luntas’s third anniversary celebration on Monday (Jan. 21, 2019), at Waroeng Mbah Cokro, Jalan Raya Prapen, Surabaya, saw more than 50 shows staged free of charge. That number did not include the dozens of performances at the People’s Amusement Park, Balai Pemuda, schools, hotels or the halls and residences of the people that invited the group.
According to Robets, performing ludruk, which is an East Java traditional art, in the millennial era cannot be done in conservative ways. Long before, the duration of a ludruk show could be the same as the show of shadow puppets, which is all night long. The story is explored from the people’s daily lives, such as Sarip Tambak Oso, Sakerah or Sawunggalih. If this continues, Ludruk’s fate is definitely coming to an end.
“The set of play is kept as the original, but we also take into account the taste of the audience,” Robets said. The set of play includes the remo dance, jula-juli, bedhayan, dagelan (joke) and lakon (story). However, the duration can be compressed to a maximum of two hours with sound, lighting, design, effects and costumes that are pleasing to the eye, even making the audience amazed.
The storyline is taken from a combination of both legend and contemporary urban legend, that is supported with a series of scenes that are not rigid. Ludruk still follows the set of play but is also flexible.
In that way, Luntas wants to make it more enjoyable for today\'s generation. The big challenge is the perception of some generations now that ludruk is ancient, traditional and outdated. “We strive to introduce ludruk that is not old-school as we can see, along the way, ludruk is developing and even metamorphosing,” Robets said.
Luntas has the ambition to carry out the mission of preserving Ludruk completely. The road being taken may be different. In this group, there are those that work for broadcasting, including the directors, producers and others. Robets is at the center of the effort and he is super busy. He becomes a director, player and stage decorator. His beloved wife who gives him three children, Paramita Indra, acted as a producer and occasionally appeared on stage.
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Robets has been involved in Luntas since the group was founded. Previously, Robets and a number of friends had another group.
However, on the way there were members who left, then set up a group with the same name. Feeling unsuitable, Robets and friends chose to create a new group.
“In the beginning, Luntas had only four members. I then recruited theater students, who join my class for extracurricular activities,” Robets recalled.
Four players became eight and now its almost 100. However, many members join and exit the group and now there are 15 active members.
Luntas members have the principle of preserving ludruk without relying on this traditional art. Ludruk players also have jobs. Practicing the art is just for fun. If there is profit, it is considered a bonus.
At the beginning of developing Luntas, Robets and friends spent their own money. Production costs are often above the income raised from tickets. They believe God will help them.
“I have never given up because ludruk is so important in life’s journey,” said Robets. Yes, this long-haired man has indeed been immersed in ludruk since he was a teenager. He learned ludruk from tapes and videos during junior high school. In senior high school, Robets joined theater while trying to play ludruk.
In 2010, Robets joined the ludruk group, Sempalan. Robets said the group was more or less like Luntas, which was full of young people. However, Robets was in an argument with his colleagues in Sempalan because he wanted to make it more modern.
After three years with Sempalan, Robets quit. Furthermore, he did not join any ludruk group, but was still performing by invitation until he founded Luntas.
As a Surabaya boy, Robets did not want to see ludruk collapse. Renewal and regeneration are the key. In Luntas, his three children were involved in the performance. The youngest who hadn’t been two years old has been performing five times in his role as a baby. Robets believes,
experience in stage performance will be memorized and who knows it is ingrained. The other two children always want to be involved in each performance. “I have great hopes for the children and their generation so that Ludruk will remain sustainable and develop as time goes on,” he said.
Robets’ efforts with colleagues in Luntas received appreciation. A year since its establishment, Luntas was awarded the Pertura Champion (Performance for the People) from the Surabaya City Administration and the Contemporary Heroes from Patata Surabaya (a souvenir producer). Last year, they received the Surabaya Hero Award from Lapis Kukus Pahlawan and Young Extraordinary from Suara Surabaya, the leading radio station in East Java.
Erland Setiawan alias Robets Bayoned
Born: Surabaya, April 21, 1976 Wife: Paramita Indra
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