Lengger Banyumas After Mbok Dariah

Megandika Wicaksono

· 5 minutes read

The successors try to survive without the legendary traditional art maestro.

The tune from a calung (bamboo xylophone) was tense. The lights are directed to the clouds, in contrast to the dark night above Kaliori village, Kalibagor subdistrict, Banyumas, Central Java, in the weekend of mid-September. Dozens of dancers and artists from inside and outside the country were full of energy. The spirit of Mbok Dariah, the maestro of lengger lanang, seemed to inspire every movement and act in the 2018 Kendalisada Art Festival.

Mbok Dariah herself died on Feb. 12 this year at the age of 90 years. The recipient of the Traditional Artist Maestro award from president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2011 set an example of totality of the preservation of Banyumasan culture. She loyally lived as a lengger lanang until the end of her life.

At the opening of the Kendalisada Art Festival on Friday (9/14/2018) night on Kendalisada Hill, a number of Mbok Dariah relics, including scarves, buns and photos, were displayed in the middle of the stage decorated with woven coconut leaves.

“Mbok Dariah is a lengger maestro who developed the lengger in Banyumas regency,” said Kaliori village head Ofan Sofiyan.

The Javanese Dance Arts Studio and the Deweng Banyumas Lengger Dance Company from Tokyo, Japan, became the first performers to open a series of festivals. Miray Kawashima, Karina Kubo, Mika Mishizaki and Yeyuri Suzuki were graceful and agile in performing the Banyumas lengger dance. Hundreds of spectators who sat on the terraced ground were bewitched by the wistful and firm bending movements of the Japanese dancers.

Even though sweat was all over the dancers\' foreheads, they were focused and solid in dancing the lengger. The audience gave a big round of applause.

“I am interested in lengger because the dance is agile, dynamic, a little erotic. I love it,” said Miray, who studied lengger for 17 years.

Miray was flattered and proud to be able to dance in front of a photo of the lengger lanang maestro Mbok Dariah. In the middle of her dance, Miray and her three colleagues looked down, respecting the figure of Mbok Dariah. Miray, who was so impressed with the figure of Mbok Dariah, hoped that this lengger art would become more popular and well-known among the public, both at home and abroad.

Along with her husband Rianto, who is also a lengger dancer from Kaliori village, they worked to introduce lengger to a number of countries. They also established the Dewandaru Studio in Tokyo.

“With this lengger lanang, we continue in the steps of Mbok Dariah. Even though it has a different version, Mbok Dariah is our spirit,” said Rianto, who always echoed Mbok Dariah\'s message to continue preserving the Banyumas lengger. The Kendalisada Art Festival is an opportunity for Rianto to re-introduce and popularize the lengger dance art to the Banyumas community.

"This is an opportunity for me to reinvent the community, especially in Kaliori village as my birth village, so I know its local wisdom,” he said.

Nawaksara Community activist Surahmat, wrote an article titled “Lengger Banyumasan Cultural Diplomacy" in Kompas newspaper in Central Java (10/20/2009). Lengger is a suburban artform, far from the center of government. The character cablaka (open as they are) is proof of the assertiveness of the supporting community. It was proof of the passive resistance of the lower classes toward a centralized kingdom. YB Mangunwijaya (1989) wrote that the lengger performer was revolting on the stage.

This art was in its heyday in 1960. Lengger became an alternative entertainment for the people and was performed during a celebration or after-harvest ceremonies. Lengger’s glory period started to fade with the anticommunism discourse following the abortive coup of the communist party, known as G30S. The dance was associated with the communist partu’s Lekra, so it was prohibited from being staged.

In the 1980s, lengger was made popular again as a campaign tool for the political party. It drew the masses. After the reform movement, the fate of lengger changed drastically. The community shifted to other forms of entertainment, including campursari and dangdut.

Mbok Dariah

Mbok Dariah was once a child name Sadam. He is thought to have been born in 1928 from the pair Samini and Kartameja. They lived as small farmers in Somokaton, Somagede subdistrict, Banyumas. Because his father died, Sadam lived with his grandfather, Wiryareja (Kompas, 03/09/2014).

One day, a traveler named Kaki Danabau stopped by their house. Danabau said Sadam was possessed by anger and would one day become a famous person. Feeling uneasy, Sadam left the house.

He meditated at an old grave, which later became known as the place to invoke the lengger indhang.

“It seemed something guided me to walk to Gandatapa,” said Mbah Dariah at that time. That means he seemed to be led to Gandatapa.

After returning from the meditation, Sadam changed his name to Dariah at the age of 16 and began to live as a woman. During this time, Dariah was known as a "beautiful" lengger who was popular in the Banyumas region. Frequently men fought for her.

Separately, Banyumas artist Yusmanto said Dariah was an inspiration for the young generation of lengger artists.

"In this age of globalization, we really need cultural identity. Well, Dariah is one of the irreplaceable figures and is part of the identity itself. People talk about Dariah, yes, talking lengger. People talk lengger, yes, [they] talk about Dariah," he said.

Dariah died in the warmth of her niece\'s family, Mistiah, who was also her adopted child in the village of Plana, Somagede, Banyumas. Sirwan, 37, Mistiah\'s son, said Dariah had asked that the lengger art be preserved. Costumes, cosmetics, keris and make-up were ordered to be kept and not sold.

"The message is that the heart of the art should not be lost. I want to encourage, preserve lengger culture and art," said Sirwan.

Editor:

lengger banyumas the legendary traditional