“Hey brother, you’re still alive?”

A visitor walks by a display on Wednesday (23/1/2019) at the Dr Soetomo Museum in Surabaya, East Java. Dr. Soetomo was the founder of Budi Utomo, Indonesia’s first political organization.In Surabaya, there was a time when there were about 600 groups of ludruk (traditional show). They agree with the slogan,“NKRI harga mati, ludruk harga diri”(The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia is non-negotiable, ludruk is pride). Only 40 groups are left in 2018. Does it show the level of pride of the Surabaya people?

The bites of mosquitoes did not irritate around a hundred teenagers and young people at Waroeng Mbah Cokro, on Jl. Raya Prapen, Surabaya, East Java, at around 8 p.m. on Jan. 21, 2019. Woven bamboo walls, rickety bamboo chairs, creaking tables, muddy soil, a tarpaulin carpet and dimmed lighting did not disappoint the visitors.

They kept staying there, eating traditional snacks and sipping traditional drinks while enjoying chants, jokes and the traditional show ludruk of Surabaya. All of this was more important than complaining about the situation, for it boosted their spirits.

There was an array of snacks and drinks, such as sate usus (chicken intestine satay), sate kikil (cow foot skin satay), sate telur puyuh (quail egg satay), nagasari (steamed sweet rice flour), tahu tempe bacem (sweetened tofu and tempeh), ote-ote (fritters), jemblem (fried shredded cassava), fried banana, fried noodles, coffee, ginger, wedang uwuh (herbal drink), temulawak (Java ginger drink) sekoteng (ginger drink) and angsle. The prices, at Rp 2,000 to Rp 10,000 per portion, were quite low and “friendly” to the wallet.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

A visitor walks by a display on Wednesday (23/1/2019) at the Dr Soetomo Museum in Surabaya, East Java. Dr. Soetomo was the founder of Budi Utomo, Indonesia’s first political organization.

At a low stage was a backdrop and curtain that could be raised and lowered manually. Entertainment began with the song “Happy Birthday” by Emerald, a rock band. After that were a series of greeting and wishes from the artists for the third anniversary of the Ludrukan Nom-noman Tjap Arek Suroboio (Luntas) group.

Through to midnight, the audience enjoyed various shows as part of the birthday celebration for Luntas. Cak Suro belted a campursari song mixed with reggae and celometan (complaints) and swear words. The songs “Nggapleki” (Awful) and “Jangkrik” (Cricket) were sung. There were also jokes and songs by Cak Blangkon and jokes from Dedi Gigis and Nopek that were sarcastic and cynical.

Well into the night, the much-awaited show kicked off: a play by Luntas titled “Mistery of the 3rd Person”. Silence broke into bursts of laughter. “We call this performance ‘ludrukan’ because we want to be more free from the standards,” said Robets Bayoned, director and coordinator of Luntas. This group was founded on Jan. 21, 2016.

Although it is not as grand as it was from the 1980s to 2000s, ludruk still survives. According to Luntas data, there are 37 ludruk groups, 10 of which are led by young people. A research study by James Lowe Peacock (1964) found there were more than 590 groups in Surabaya.

“Jogo Suroboyo”

On another day, Jan. 20, 2019, at 11 a.m., “Jogo Suroboyo” was performed by the Ludruk Art Association of Sinar Nusantara Cultural Rhythm at Balai Pemuda Arts Building, Surabaya. The stage and backdrop were filled with various props (sacks, wires, fences, costumes) as well as screenshots from the Battle of Surabaya movie. For about one hour, elementary school students performed with teenagers, adults, seniors and parents in the show.

Surabaya City Police chief Sr. Comr. Rudi Setiawan, who hails from Lampung, featured in the show despite being clumsy with his Surabaya accent.

Joko Gender, 46, the grandson of the late Gondo Durasim, the great Ludruk artist, said this traditional art was still alive in Surabaya. However, in the southern part of East Java, ludruk seems to be dying. Economic reasons and a lack of audiences are the main reasons behind the decline.

“The enthusiasm of the people is still pretty good. It is not that the ludruk artist is unable to adapt to the current conditions, but it is difficult for them to depend on ludruk to earn a living,” Joko said.

Even so, there are still several who are loyal to the art form even though it is not their main source of livelihood. Saderi, 74, from Sidoarjo and Suparman, 65, from Jombang are still active ludruk artists. “If you don’t perform, you are even nervous. We keep performing despite a low pay,” Saderi said.

For routine performances, the pay is Rp 30,000. For non-routine or booked shows, the pay is Rp 150,000 to Rp 200,000. This traditional art can no longer be expected as a main source of income for the artists. “If they [the ludruk artists] don’t perform, they will usually complain about gout, back pain or anxiety. All of them will get cured when they perform on stage,” said Meimura, the secretary of Sinar Nusantara Cultural Rhythm, after the performance of Jogo Suroboyo, which he directed.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

A visitor walks by a display on Wednesday (23/1/2019) at the Dr Soetomo Museum in Surabaya, East Java. Dr. Soetomo was the founder of Budi Utomo, Indonesia’s first political organization.

Separately, the mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini, said she had allocated a budget of Rp 702 million to help make 33 ludruk groups perform on stage. Now, each luduk performance is given Rp 13 million in cash assistance.

There is still hope for arek Surabaya (Surabaya people) to maintain their self-esteem. It\'s like the typical greeting among arek Surabaya when they’re meeting with close friends: “Yok opo Rek, isih urip awakmu” (Hey brother, you’re still alive?).