catatan lapangan - Arek Institute

Responsive and Crafting Ludruk Categorisation

by Penelitian Arek | May 4, 2022 | Arek-Arek

Alvianta Virgosa – Komite Pendampingan Arek

The evolution of the times forces the art of Ludruk to adapt to all changes. This adjustment, with the times, is an adaptation in the form of performances. This can be seen through the change from Ludruk Tanggapan (responsive Ludruk performances) to Ludruk Garapan (crafted Ludruk performances). Both have differences because this art form adjusts to the conditions of the times and their environment.

Ludruk Tanggapan is a form of Ludruk performance held in response to specific events, such as weddings, slametan (Javanese ceremonial feasts), or harvest seasons. When these events occur, the performances of this group are always enlivened by the presence of night markets, and the duration of the performance is very long. This performance can start from 9 p.m. until the early morning.

On the other hand, Ludruk Garapan is a performance that usually appears in government agendas, festivals, or competitions. This performance is arranged to suit the market and to shorten the time. In an interview, Arimbi–a Ludruk artist–explained that the structure of Ludruk Tanggapan performances has a longer duration than Ludruk Garapan. The structure of the Ludruk Tanggapan performance is as follows: (I) Opening with Remo dance attractions, (II) Snake dance (III) comedy sketches, (IV) Presentation of the main story or drama, which is the core of the performance.

Unlike the structure of Ludruk Tanggapan, Ludruk Garapan has a shorter duration. This is shown by cutting some parts of the Ludruk Tanggapan structure, including: removing the snake dance performance and reducing the duration of the performance. As a result of this time reduction, this type of Ludruk has a duration of only two to three hours.

The classification of Ludruk Tanggapan and Ludruk Garapan is not new. This phenomenon has been ongoing since the New Order government in the 1990s. At that time, the government had many agendas involving the Ludruk art community. These agendas included festivals, competitions, and government performances.

The numerous events were more directed towards Ludruk Garapan performances. This was marked by a shorter performance duration than Ludruk Tanggapan. This time reduction was adjusted to the sequence of events arranged by the New Order Government.

On the other hand, Ludruk Tanggapan performances were rarely found. Because every Ludruk performance in that period was always under military supervision. This resulted in their inability to perform as freely as before. Ludruk at that time was only emphasized to show the main event, namely the comedy sketches and the presentation of the drama.

After the New Order fell, from the 2000s to 2010, the art of Ludruk once became a favorite entertainment for the public. Ludruk Tanggapan performances became a frequent sight due to the many celebrations inviting Ludruk art. Here, the art activists began to return to the traditional elements of Ludruk art like in the old days. These elements included the Remo dance given a long time, snake dance, comedy sketches, and the presentation of the drama.

The resurgence of this art began to be felt during this period. This is shown through the high enthusiasm of the public to host Ludruk in an event. Although not as massive as in the previous period, this art began to be favored by many modern youths and the elderly because it became a catharsis for the romance of past entertainment.

However, from 2012 to the present, the art of Ludruk has experienced ups and downs in its performances. Ludruk Tanggapan began to lose its appeal to the public. This was caused by the transition in the evolution of the times. The development of various forms of entertainment and spectacles such as television, radio, the internet, and others made Ludruk lose its function as a modern ritual (Azali 2012).

In his writing, Azali shows that the enthusiasts for the art of Ludruk began to decrease due to the development of various forms of entertainment and spectacles. People prefer forms of entertainment that do not require energy to leave the house such as watching television, listening to the radio, and playing on social media. From this change in public habits, Ludruk artists are forced to brainstorm to innovate their performances again, especially artists in urban communities.

Upon closer examination, the phenomenon of Ludruk Garapan is a phenomenon of Ludruk groups in urban areas. Because, Ludruk Garapan groups appeared due to government programs such as festivals or cultural events. The limited performance time at these events causes changes in the structure and duration of performances from Ludruk Garapan groups.

Garapan is one of the forms of Ludruk groups that has most developed in urban areas, especially in Surabaya.

Overall, the phenomenon of Ludruk Tanggapan is a form of adaptation by Ludruk artists to their conditions and environment. This leads to adjustments in the performance style of Ludruk, such as cutting down on the duration and adjusting the structure of the performance.

The 1965 Coupe and The Existence of Gambus Misri

by Penelitian Arek | Apr 11, 2022 | Arek-Arek

Alfian Widi Santoso | Mahasiswa Ilmu Sejarah, Unair | Peneliti Arek Institute

Jombang is a region that intersects many Javanese subcultures, including the Arek, Mataraman, and Pasisiran subcultures. Geographically, Jombang is indeed a region located in the center of East Java, leading to a diverse artistic and cultural landscape in this area. One of the most interesting phenomena is the tension between the Abangan and Putihan groups. This has given rise to a new artistic current in this area, where the art has contexts with the intersection of subcultures and the political conflicts occurring in Jombang.

The class classification has been revealed in the phenomenal book by Clifford Geertz titled “Abangan, Santri, and Priyayi”. Clifford Geertz’s writing may have been refuted in recent research, suggesting that this stratification may only be applicable in the Modjokuto area, not throughout Java (Geertz, 1983). However, it has provided a sufficient depiction of the sociological and anthropological landscape occurring in the Jombang environment because, in the period afterward, the groups in this classification have horizontal conflicts.

In Geertz’s study, it is revealed that these three social trichotomies are an important milestone for examining many things, especially in matters of subculture such as the arts. At the beginning of the 20th century, the priyayi could already be eliminated in this differentiation, as they were preoccupied with their own worldly affairs due to the education program from the ethical politics, coupled with the weakening influence of this group itself. Eventually, in this group classification, only Abangan and Putihan remained.

Unfortunately, both the Abangan and Putihan groups often clashed in a cultural context, during colonialism, the Old Order, and the New Order. This significant conflict eventually led to the emergence of many subcultures due to the situation of the times. This phenomenon proved to heat up further in a cultural context. The political transition from the Old Order to the New Order led to many massacres and acts of exclusion against the Abangan group. This phenomenon led to the emergence of a new art stream from the Putihan group, namely Gambus Misri.

Etymologically, Gambus Misri can be divided into two words: Gambus and Misri. Gambus itself means a form of music that spread in the Malay region, and Misri means Egypt, as Egypt is one of the hubs or qiblas of Gambus music itself. One of the factors is the emergence of the singer Umi Kulthum, a very famous artist of her time. Even so, Gambus Misri would later innovate on its own regarding the music it used, especially with the emergence of A. Kadir to Nasida Ria. Additionally, Gambus Misri also follows the Zapin dance pattern, and its comedy is based on Stambul comedy (Sugiarti: 2017).

This article attempts to explore the political and cultural domains that led to the emergence of the Gambus Misri phenomenon in Jombang. This is closely related to the social trichotomy researched by Geertz, as Jombang is not exempt from the cultural phenomena he described. Additionally, numerous Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) are established, and the agrarian community is widespread across the countryside (Dewi, 2019).

The emergence of Gambus Misri represents the santri community’s unease with their entertainment, heavily reliant on religious norms, especially Islam. Especially during the heyday of Ludruk art, which was the only form of entertainment among the lower-middle-class communities, was banned in the pesantren social system around the 1960s. In an interview, Nasrul Ilahi—a Jombang cultural figure—explained the reason for the prohibition of Ludruk art in the Putihan group, stating:

“Ludruk, from the strict santri perspective that follows Molimo teachings, is considered entertainment for people without religion, as Ludruk performances at that time were closely associated with drinking alcohol, sex, gambling, and other sinful activities.”

From this explanation, for the Putihan group, Ludruk art was considered a deviation from religious values. Yet, Ludruk is a performing art that carries a dimension of populism. On the other hand, both the santri and abangan groups shared the same goal: to be free from colonial shackles.

“The kyais could only recommend their students to seek entertainment typical of pesantren, such as the Zapin dance or playing the gambus. Interestingly, people outside the santri community who did not like Ludruk (notably considered negative entertainment at the time) heard about this, and eventually, those outside the pesantren attempted to acculturate Ludruk with pesantren arts. Finally, around one or two decades after Ludruk appeared; Gambus Misri was created from the collective idea of the community,” said Nasrul Ilahi.

In the interview, Nasrul narrated the background of the emergence of this art based on the tension between these two groups because, but Gambus Misri itself also adapted Ludruk art patterns. The significant difference lies in the context of the storyline, comedy, dance, and musical accompaniment, which are more Islamic in nature.

During the Old Order era, there was another polemic between these two social groups. At that time, both arts were always tied to political contests, especially as these contests had segregation and horizontal conflicts, such as differences in groups and teachings represented by the Abangan and Putihan trichotomy.

This political contestation also extended to cultural issues, even worse than during the colonial period. This is evident in the hostility between communist and religious groups. Indeed, many unclear accusations were made between these two groups. In cultural matters, communists had Lekra (People’s Cultural Institution) as an underbow in cultural issues. In this context, Lekra always sponsored Ludruk performances. This is evident in the National Lekra Congress’s decision regarding Film and Drama Art, which stated that in Drama Art, Lekra had the task to investigate, explore, abandon, and develop all kinds of drama that live among the people, supported by one of its work programs to endeavor ideological and artistic education (Yulianti & Dahlan, 2008).

Eventually, through the decision of the National Lekra Congress, it became a marker for future cultural conflicts. Unavoidably, in the ’60s, the tension between the Abangan (Lekra) group and the Putihan group intensified because Ludruk raised very controversial storylines at that time. For example, two famous storylines of its time were “Gusti Allah Ngunduh Mantu” and “Malaikat Kimpoy” (Tempo, 2013). This caused the Putihan group to become greatly alarmed. Even in Kedungsari, Sumobito, Jombang, the community there tried to compete with Ludruk, which was heavily sponsored by Lekra, by establishing Gambus Misri “Bintang Sembilan”—the naming refers to the majority of people in Kedungsari village being members of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

This cultural conflict continued until the eruption of the 1965 tragedy, which ended the era of Ludruk due to its storylines that ignited the anger of the Putihan group. However, Ludruk and Gambus Misri have closeness because both arts are tied to the lower class of society, and there were no other entertainments. According to Nasrul Ilahi:

“In Sumobito around the 1960s, Ludruk and Gambus Misri performances alternated, for example, Ludruk in the first week and Gambus Misri in the second week, a phenomenon that continued until Ludruk went dormant due to the events of 1965”

On the other hand, following the turmoil of 1965, it is suspected that many Ludruk performers sought refuge within the Gambus Misri group, as these Ludruk players did not want to be affected by the massacre and exclusion of the Abangan group. This is because Ludruk artists were always associated with the Abangan group, which was notably considered the underbelly of the PKI (Communist Party of Indonesia).

In short, the art of Gambus Misri emerged due to tensions between the Abangan and Putihan groups. Due to this tension, the Putihan group introduced a new stream of art with Islamic dimensions. This art once filled the cultural space of the Jombang community alongside Ludruk art, but during the bloody events of 1965, Gambus Misri became a haven for Ludruk artists who did not want to be eliminated and killed.

Warna Budaya: The Kampong’s Ludruk

by Penelitian Arek | Mar 19, 2022 | Arek-Arek

In Surabaya, the existence of Ludruk art is increasingly marginalized day by day. It’s evident from the difficulty of finding performances of this art form, leading many people to think that it has become extinct. Even the younger generation, who are the future bearers, are unaware of Ludruk. This critical condition for the sustainability of this art form has caused concern among Ludruk activists and lovers in the Pagesangan Subdistrict, prompting them to create a community Ludruk group, Warna Budaya Pagesangan.

Warna Budaya is a community Ludruk group. This Ludruk group has a training place or “tobong” in the Pagesangan area, Jambangan district, Surabaya city. The group was formed through the initiative of the Pagesangan neighborhood residents. They are also fully supported by local institutions, namely the Community Empowerment Institution of the Subdistrict (LPMK), and the group is led by Bambang Sugeng, who also serves as the chairman of this institution.

Seeing the concern for the Ludruk art, Bambang and the residents of Pagesangan formed this Ludruk group. This concern, in fact, bore fruit because there are now 20 actors and crew members in Warna Budaya. The number of group members shows that Ludruk art in this area is of interest to the local residents since most of its members are taken from the village’s community where this Ludruk group is based.

Although this Ludruk group was formed and filled mostly by village residents, the composition of their members also includes several art activists from other groups. This is intended to accommodate art activists in expressing their art since many Ludruk groups currently still cannot hold performances. This has caused other Ludruk artists to be unable to work in this art form anymore. Thus, this space is greatly utilized by these artists to get involved in the artistic activities of the Ludruk group Warna Budaya.

The involvement of artists from other Ludruk groups, in fact, resonates with the goal of this Ludruk group, which is the spirit to preserve the Ludruk art. They also want to reintroduce this art to their village, stemming from this Ludruk group’s concern that many children in the village are starting not to recognize Ludruk art.

In an interview, Bambang—as the chairman of the Ludruk group Warna Budaya—explained that the formation of this Ludruk group was based on the village residents’ concern for the Ludruk art that was increasingly unheard. They missed the Ludruk-style gamelan beat and its comedy. As a result, the younger generation could no longer recognize Ludruk art. From the residents’ concern for this original art of Surabaya, a desire to preserve and introduce Ludruk art to the next generation was formed.

On the other hand, compared to other Ludruk groups, this Ludruk group could still be considered very new. Most Ludruk groups were formed in the 90s, and the latest was concluded in 2016. While Warna Budaya was only formed in September 2018. However, the presence of this Ludruk group has provided ample evidence that the village, in the Arek subculture environment, longs for this art. This is demonstrated by the large community involvement, both from the audience and direct involvement in artistic activities.

However, the spirit of this Ludruk group in reviving this art is no less than that of the old Ludruk groups. From 2018 to 2019, they have performed several times, attracting a large audience, especially from the Pagesangan residents themselves, as they often perform in their village area. The crowd density attending these performances shows that Ludruk art is indeed missed by the Arek-Arek village.

In addition to the villagers’ longing for the art, the residents of Pagesangan themselves have a high enthusiasm because Warna Budaya is a Ludruk group unique to their village. This also marks the village community’s solidarity with the initiative from their own brethren. They always fully support all the artistic activities of this Ludruk group, proven by the villagers’ eagerness to always actively participate, both in terms of presence—as a form of appreciation—and involvement in the creative process.

Unfortunately, from 2020 to 2021, this Ludruk group had to pause its activities due to the Covid pandemic, forcing them to take a break. Although Warna Budaya experienced a downturn, after the decrease in virus spread, the group resumed training to regain their performance level. They always conduct training and regular meetings at their training location in the Pagesangan Subdistrict.

As Indonesia manages the pandemic better, this Ludruk group has re-emerged. They have performed three times in the last three months, holding their first performance after the pause in November. It was held in the Pagesangan Subdistrict field, attended by the Arek Institute’s accompanying team. This was the initial meeting of the accompanying team with this Ludruk group.

The performance marked the beginning of their subsequent shows. Due to the overwhelming enthusiasm for that performance, they held a second performance on December 18, 2021. At the second performance, the audience once again filled the entire venue. The seating for the audience was even full and could not accommodate other spectators, resulting in many audience members crowding and standing just to enjoy this Ludruk group’s performance.

Interestingly, the audience for this performance was not only from the Pagesangan residents, but many people from outside the village also attended. They successfully expanded their audience reach. This was possible because this Ludruk group employed a different approach from the old-style Ludruk groups. This Ludruk group leveraged the important role of social media, especially WhatsApp, to distribute their performance pamphlets from one group to another.

Additionally, this Ludruk group also succeeded in choosing a performance location. They held their second performance in a very strategic place, namely the area of Street Vendors (PKL) for religious tourism on the North side of the Al-Akbar Mosque. This simultaneously provided an economic stimulus to the surrounding merchant group. Their performance also attracted visitors to shop for snacks and drinks in the merchant area. The PKL, usually quiet of visitors on that day, had their merchandise swept clean.

In short, the presence of the Warna Budaya Ludruk group represents a phenomenal emergence and is like an oasis. This group marks the re-emergence of the village Ludruk group, which once occurred in the 90s, but at that time, it was in the form of village theater groups scattered in the Arek environment. This simultaneously heralds a new wave in Ludruk art, namely village Ludruk.