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Arboyo: Ludruk Garuda Dancing

Arboyo: Ludruk Garuda Dancing

by | Nov 1, 2022 | Arek-Arek

Alvianta Virgosa | Pendampingan Arek | Mahasiswa S1 Ilmu Politik FISIP Unair

The art of Ludruk is not only a means of entertainment but also plays a more vital role in educating society. This can be achieved through the art world, which appears very enjoyable and entertaining. One such effort has been made by the Ludruk Arboyo group in Surabaya. They introduce the value of nationalism through the dance they developed, namely the Garuda Dance.

This dance was created because the awareness of nationalism is considered to be in decline, as demonstrated by actual facts that depict counterproductive behavioral patterns with a lack of empathy towards one’s own nation. Several factors contribute to this situation, such as the globalisation trend that is increasingly encroaching on society.

Based on these issues, the Ludruk Arboyo group (Arek Suroboyo) developed the Garuda dance. The dance aims to disseminate the discourse of nationalism. It is an effort to ground Pancasila through art, and this is shown by the presence of this dance as one of the openers in every performance of this Ludruk group.

As the name suggests, this dance has movements resembling the figure of the Garuda bird, including wing-flapping movements, flying movements, and twisting movements. Each movement has its own meaning. For example, the wing-flapping movement symbolizes that the Indonesian people must uphold the good name of the nation and state.

In addition to being used as an opening dance, the Garuda dance also includes the reading of Pancasila after the dance is finished. The audience and all performers are invited to stand and chant Pancasila together. The atmosphere becomes very solemn and profound with this sequence of events. It aims to invite, notably, the young audience to further ground Pancasila in art. This is because the Ludruk group sees that many young people today do not interpret Pancasila as the foundation of the state and its philosophy.

In the reading of Pancasila, the Ludruk Arboyo group requires all visitors or spectators to follow the Reader. This is part of the discourse dissemination carried out by the Ludruk Arboyo group. And it serves as the transmission of values to the audience that Pancasila must remain in the minds of the people.

Through this dance, Arboyo wants to show that Pancasila is not always understood rigidly. It is no longer studied textually as taught in schools or universities. However, Pancasila can also spread its discourse through art, which is close to society. Thus, society can get to know and reflect on Pancasila through a more enjoyable medium than the world of education alone.

This dance not only has a dissemination function but also simultaneously marks the character of the Ludruk Arboyo group—as one of the Pakem Ludruk groups. Because the owner of this dance is only this Ludruk group, and there is no other Ludruk group in Surabaya that has this dance. This dance is an educational tool created by the Ludruk Arboyo group so that society always remembers the identity of its nation, namely the foundation of the Indonesian state.

The Garuda dance was created by the wife of the late Cak Lupus, namely Nonik. The woman, commonly called Bunda Nonik, has replaced the role of the late Cak Lupus as the leader of Arboyo. Since then, Nonik has brought a renewal to her Ludruk group by adding the Garuda Dance at the beginning of the performance.

In an interview, Nonik—as the leader of Arboyo—said that there was a background to the creation of the Garuda Dance. It was caused by her concern over the erosion of the national identity among the wider community, especially Arek Suroboyo. This can be seen from the many young people, parents, and even state officials who do not memorize Pancasila. Therefore, she created this dance along with the reading of Pancasila to re-narrate Pancasila in the public space.

Nonik also received support from Lupus—as the chairman of this Ludruk group before his death. He gave support in the form of encouragement to Bunda Nonik to immediately develop the Garuda Dance, which was then followed by the reading of the Pancasila text. The reading is recited by the dancer at the end of the performance, which is then followed by all the audience.

Historically, this dance began to be composed since October 10, 2021, and the Garuda Dance was first publicly performed on November 23, 2021, at the Surabaya Cultural Hall. At that time, Arboyo was invited by the Surabaya City Government in an annual agenda, namely the Surabaya Art and Culture Festival 2021. In that performance, Arboyo presented the Sawunggaling play.

In this distinctive dance of the Arboyo Ludruk group, Nonik mandates that the members who join must learn. This means that members who are part of this Ludruk group are obligated to practice the Garuda dance. Nonik does this because she wants the narrative of love for the nation to be directed not only at the audience but to also start from within the members of Arboyo themselves.

Structurally, after the Garuda dance and the reading of Pancasila are finished, this Ludruk group continues with the traditional elements they have long implemented. These elements include kidungan (Javanese sung poetry), dagelan (comedy) combined with kidungan, and plays interspersed with kidungan. Thus, they always incorporate kidungan in every segment of their performance. Then, they also present a song owned by this Ludruk group, performed by several children of the Arboyo Ludruk Training members.

The addition of both the Garuda Dance and the Arboyo-owned song serves as an educational tool to ensure that society remembers its national identity. This Ludruk group demonstrates that mainstreaming the discourse of nationalism can be done not only in rigid forms such as educational institutions but also through the arts, like Ludruk art.

Therefore, the Arboyo Ludruk group uses Ludruk art as an educational medium for both the society and the internal members of this group. This is shown by their efforts to introduce Pancasila through this dance and teach it to all members of this Ludruk group. As a result, society can reflect more on Pancasila, both philosophically and ideologically.

Responsive and Crafting Ludruk Categorisation

Responsive and Crafting Ludruk Categorisation

by | 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.

Luntas: The New Wave of A Ludruk Troupe

Luntas: The New Wave of A Ludruk Troupe

by | Feb 28, 2022 | Arek-Arek

Anugrah Yulianto Rachman–Nugi. Peneliti Arek Institute.

The art of Ludruk is always undergoing updated. This doesn’t mean that this art form is like an ornament that can’t be enhanced or changed. Change is something absolute in its essence because Ludruk is like an organism. It will evolve and grow according to the conditions of the times and its environment. This is demonstrated by one of the pioneering Ludruk groups, Luntas.

Luntas is a Ludruk group that emerged in the post-New Order (Orba) era, roughly born in 2016. The age of this Ludruk group can be marked through its 6th anniversary, titled “Anniversary Nemta6en,” held on January 23rd recently. To commemorate it, a celebration event was held at Mbah Cokro’s eatery in Surabaya, and the play staged was titled “Babad Alas Surabaya: Jaka Jumput.”

Through this performance, Luntas continues to show its consistency as a pioneering Ludruk group. For 6 years of creating, this group has brought so much freshness to the world of Ludruk art, especially in Surabaya. The refreshment in their anniversary performance is shown in the promotion of the performance and comedy on stage.

They actively promote and introduce through social media. They package it differently from old-style Ludruk groups. If, in the past, before the arrival of this group, Ludruk art was promoted using megaphones—by going around the village—or written on a bor board—the term used by Ludruk artists for a blackboard advertising the play to be staged—then Luntas presents it differently.

This Ludruk group uses audio-visual media in the form of promotional videos for the play they will perform. They frame it with action film-style videos and very contemporary style. This can be seen on the Facebook page of one of Luntas’ founders, Roberts Bayoned. The one-minute video presents information about the play to be performed at the event.

Moreover, this Ludruk group has also frequently documented every performance they have. Then, they upload the recordings to digital media, especially YouTube. These recordings can be accessed through the YouTube channel of SMC Mediavisitama or Ludruk Luntas Indonesia Channel. There is so much documentation of this group’s performances on both channels.

The promotion and documentation pattern of this Ludruk group’s performances have shown a change within this art form. Ludruk artists are not only starting to follow the current of the times, but they also still keep this art form enjoyable for a wide audience. Thus, Ludruk can broaden its audience reach to the virtual public.

Additionally, this renewal is not only manifested through these aspects, but this group also continuously renews its comedy style. Because, based on the acronym of this group, they carry the slogan, “Ludrukan Nom-noman Tjap Arek Suroboyo” (Luntas). This slogan also brings forth a comedy style that is very attached to this group.

This comedy style was also presented in this performance. Luntas presents a very contemporary comedy style and outside the usual conventions of Ludruk groups. In an interview, Robert explained that he was inspired by Japanese comedy style that uses a blackman to provide background effects in each of its shows. This figure wears black clothing, blending with the stage background, as if invisible as a character in the play.

He gave effects to the robes worn by one of the characters in his performance. For example, in a scene where Jaka Jumput is tempted during his meditation, this blackman figure provides an effect with the writing saying “Waduh digudo setan”. The scenario occurs when Jaka Jumput is meditating, and a demon wearing a black robe is disturbing his meditation. Then the Blackman places this writing above Jaka Jumput’s head.

In addition to the Japanese-style comedy figure, such as the use of a Blackman, the ambiance of this play’s performance is filled with unusual costumes and surprises compared to most Ludruk plays. Again, in the midst of his meditation, a transgender woman comes and teases Jaka Jumput. Then, the blackman provides another writing effect like: “Jancok! Banci Pisan Melok2 Nggudo”. Interestingly, the transgender character in this play does not wear the typical cross-dressing costumes of old-style Ludruk groups. She wears a Japanese anime costume, Sailor Moon, wearing an orange wig—exactly like one of the characters in that anime.

Even during a battle scene of Prince Sumenep in the play, it is presented in a very unique and different way. This Ludruk group chose to provide the background sound effects of that battle with songs from that anime. The song adds a dimension of tension as well as humor to the battle scenario because not many Ludruk groups use a comedy concept like this group.

The renewal of both the play and the promotional pattern turns out to be a form that has indeed been made a character of this Ludruk group. This was stated by Robert during the opening of this event. He mentioned that Luntas has been striving for 6 years to create a generation of audience because Ludruk art, in the present time, needs to have an audience reach from the current generation.

Therefore, Luntas adopts the slogan that it is a young and modern Ludruk group styled like Surabaya. This is because, in their performances, they always incorporate the cultural language of the Arek community, which is characterized by Surabaya terminology. This is also marked by the comedy style of this Ludruk group, which is not the same as most Ludruk groups. Luntas presents a comedy dimension that is far different from other Ludruk groups.

In short, the Ludruk group Luntas is an oasis in the midst of the Ludruk art world. This group brings a breath of fresh air in all its Ludruk art activities. This renewal has proven capable of making this Ludruk group a group with its own unique characteristics and identity.