From: becherer@suna7.cs.uiuc.edu (Max Becherer)
Subject: Indonesian Cultural Show
Summary: Indonesian Cultural Show
Keywords: Indonesia Culture
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 22:53:27 GMT



   I recently got an email letter from Pariatmono, an Indonesian who asked
me to post this for him because his network does not have write access to
the newsgroups. It sounds like fun; too bad I'm too far away to see it for
myself.  For more information, please contact:

                 Pariatmono
                 Dept. of Civil Engineering
                 Imperial College, UK
                 email np@cv.ic.ac.uk

  If anyone on the Net is able to attend, please let us know how it went.

                 Thanks,

                      Max Becherer    becherer@cs.uiuc.edu

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                                PROGRAMME
                         INDONESIAN CULTURAL SHOW
                           23-24 October 1992
            Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine

Friday, 23 October 1992

Great Hall, Imperial College
11.00-12.30 : Opening Ceremony of the Indonesian Cultural Show 1992
              Cultural Exhibition from provinces in Indonesia
              'Gamelan' Exhibition
12.30-14.00 : Music Show
              'Gamelan' Exhibition
14.00-15.00 : 'Batik Painting Show'
15.00-end   : Information Programme (Audio-visual)
              Information on Indonesian Culture
              Information on tourism and holiday programme in Indonesia



Saturday, 24 October 1992

Junior Common Room, Imperial College
17.00-20.00 : Food Fair and Dinner. (Menu is a selection of dishes from
                                    provinces in Indonesia)
              Performance of 'Angklung'

Great Hall, Imperial College
20.00-end   : Opening Statement
              Performance of contemporary music and dance


The following is a guide to the event

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                       ART AND CULTURAL EXHIBITION

Because Indonesia consists of many islands, there are  vast  numbers  of
arts  and  cultures  throughout  Indonesia.  Every  Island or even every
village has its own distinctive culture. Art in Indonesia  is  sometimes
based  on  folklore, but also often from derives religious practices. On
this occasion, some of the art and culture which can be seen  throughout
the archipelago are presented.


Gamelan

Probably the best known and most widely associated with the  country,  a
complete   gamelan   orchestra   may  consist  of  as  many  as  fifteen
instruments. Kendang (drums),  celempung (a zither), rebab (two-stringed
upright  fiddle), a flute and often a few other instruments complete the
ensemble. Different from European music which uses the diatonic  system,
the  gamelan  orchestra  is  tuned  to  two  systems, the old pentatonic
slendro and the younger seven-tone pelog, each producing  its  own  mood
and having its own uses in the musical or theatrical repertoire.

The most elaborate form of gamelan is that of Central  Jawa  (Yogyakarta
and  Surakarta). West Jawa has its own gamelan ensemble, usually simpler
than the Javanese. But the most brilliant is that of Bali where sets  of
male  and  female  megalophones produce that beautiful timbre associated
with the Balinese gamelan. In  other  islands  of  Indonesia  much  more
simple  forms of gamelan are known such as that from Southern Sumatra to
Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

In this exhibition, we will be showing the Gamelan which  is  played  by
the South Bank Gamelan Players.


Wayang

     For a thousand years and more wayang ( a javanese word which  means
ghost  or  shadow)  has  been  the  most popular form of dramatic art in
Indonesia. Wayang can be found in many parts of Indonesia especially  in
Jawa  eg.   Wayang Kulit and Wayang Orang from central Jawa Wayang Golek
from west Jawa Wayang Gunungan from Bali

The wayang kulit of Jawa is performed with leather puppets held  by  the
puppeteer,  who  narrates the story of one of the famous episodes of the
Hindu epics, the Mahabharata or the Ramayana. It is performed against  a
white  screen while a lantern in the background casts the shadows of the
characters on the screen, visible from the other side  where  spectators
are seated.

The wayang golek of West Jawa which uses wooden puppets to  portray  the
characters is also based on the same concept.

On this occasion, we will be showing some of several popular forms, such
as wayang kulit and wayang golek.


Batik, Ulos and other handicraft

The crafts of Indonesia vary in both medium and art form. As a whole the
people  are  artistic  by nature and express themselves on canvas, wood,
metals, clay and stone.

Batik.

The batik process of waxing and dyeing originated in Jawa centuries  ago
and  classic  designs  have  been  modified  with  modern trends in both
pattern and technology.

Ulos and others

Other provinces  produce hand-woven cloths of gold and  silver  threads,
silk  or cotton with intricate designs. Ulos for example originated from
north Sumatra. The cloth is still used in ceremonies such  as  marriages
etc.


Angklung

Angklung is a traditional  instrument  made  of  bamboo  which  makes  a
chrekets  sound.  One  angklung  can  only  make  one tone, therefore an
angklung orchestra contains 8 or more angklung instruments. A  stand  of
angklung  will  be  displayed  in  the  exhibition,  whilst the complete
orchestra will be played during the Food Fair.

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                                 FOOD FAIR

The staple food of most of Indonesia is rice. On some of the islands  in
eastern Indonesia. The staple food traditionally ranged from corn, sago,
cassava to sweet potatoes, though this is changing as rice becomes  more
popular.

Spices and hot chilli peppers are the essence of  most  cooking  and  in
some  areas  they  are used generously such as in West Sumatra and North
Sulawesi. Each province or area has its own cuisine, which varies in the
method of cooking and ingredients.

For most people,  a meal consists of steamed white rice with side dishes
of  meat, chicken, fish and vegetables along with  a glass of tea. There
is such a rich variety in the Indonesian cuisine that one should  sample
specialities  in  each  area.  However,  most common nationwide are sate
(skewered grilled meat), gado-gado (vegetable salad with peanut  sauce),
nasi goreng (fried rice) and bakmi goreng (fried noodles).

In the fair, some of these such as Sate Ayam, Sate Kambing, Nasi Goreng,
Bakmi Goreng, Pempek, Tekwan, Kue Lapis, Lemper, Nasi Uduk and Gado-gado
will be presented and may be tasted.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

                           CULTURAL PERFORMANCES

Like most of the performing arts of the Orient, the performing  arts  of
Indonesia are believed to have had their origins in  religious  worship.
Even today, many dances are considered sacred.

Dance traditions today are as  widely  diverse  as  the  various  ethnic
cultures  of  which  they  are  a part.  Here a selection of dances from
parts of the archipelago will be performed. As  well  as   a  number  of
traditional dances performed in their original form, a modern adaptation
of some of the regional dances will also be performed in the  show.  The
choreography  and  costumes, designed by Indonesian students, illustrate
the characteristics , traditions and customs of the regions from  which
they  originate. Also incorporated  are  elements of modern dances. The
dances demonstrate both creativity and a respect  of  tradition  on  the
part  of  Indonesian youth. Their own vision  of   the dances  is making
the ancient traditions of performing arts more popular among the younger
generations.

BALI

The Jengger Dance comes from the island of Bali which is famous for  its
arts  and  culture and because of that, is the most crowded tourist area
in Indonesia.

There are many different kinds of traditional ceremonies  held  in  Bali
accompanied  by  dancing.  One  of the dances is the Jengger Dance. This
dance is about how men protect the women from suffering. This  dance  is
not used quiet often but only in a traditional ritual.

JAVA

This Javanese Dance describes a popular game played by children in  Jawa
and  it  shows the happiness amongst the children. The song itself comes
from Central and East Jawa.

SUNDA

This dance is one of the most popular dances in West Jawa. It is usually
performed  on  special  occasion  and  most  youths  and  even the older
generation  enjoy  it.  This  dance  describes  how  the  young   people
associates with each other. In this dance anybody can participate.

BORNEO DANCE

The Borneo Dance is from Kalimantan, better known as Borneo. This  dance
was  used  in rituals at the palace long ago. This dance welcomes guests
from other regions. It describes the strength of a soldier.

SULAWESI, MALUKU & OTHERS

The Bamboo Dance comes from Maluku Island and the surrounding  area.  It
shows the skills of the women of that island.

The Handkerchief Dance comes from Sulawesi better known as Celebes. This
dance  is  a  kind  of game where the young ladies and gents try to find
their match.

IRIAN

The War Dance comes from Irian Jaya. This dance is performed before  the
men  from  the village go to war. This dance ask for the strength of the
spiritual world to protect them in the battle.

WEST SUMATRA

The Plate Dance is a traditional dance from West Sumatra. This dance  is
performed at parties in the villages of West Sumatra.

PUTIH MELATI DANCE

This Fan Dance is a combination of a few dances from all the islands  of
Indonesia.  This  type  of  dance describes gracefully the purity of the
land of Indonesia.

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