Wayang shadow theatre In Bali Part 11

The significance of this mythology arises from its explicit proposition concerning the context, objective and the number of the performers. Based on this mythological foundation, a dalang is responsible for purifying, edifying and enlightening an audience through his verbal and comic creativities and improvisation. Maintaining this original function helps to keep Wayang theatre distinct from other performing-arts genres.

In this myth, seven artists are involved in the performance: one dalang, two assistants and four musicians. This is still the normal size of a troupe of Wayang Kulit Parwa in south Bali, from the Jembrana regency in the west to the Karangasem regency in the east. A number of other myths exist, but they all deal with the same central notion that performance has the power to pacify demons and return the divine to its beneficent form. In other words, a specific purpose of purification is inherent in Wayang Kulit and in some other sacred performance forms. The Balinese believe that a dangerous lower spirit can be transformed into a favourable divine spirit through the performance of Wayang. Holy water, which the dalang creates at the end of the performance, is a sign of the washing away of the evil – a tangible sign of the desired inner process which the characters in each of the stories achieve release them from domination by lower instincts.

In fact, exorcisms are still common in Bali in many situations, as belief in evil spirits and purification is widespread. In Hindu Panca-Sradha belief, the universe is seen as occupied by all kinds of spirits, from extremely good to evil. These spirits affect the lives of human beings and prompt them to do good or ill. As Freudian psychology sees the unconscious split into three parts – super ego, ego and id – similarly Balinese spirits are divided into three functions (Triguna): Satwam (essentially, heart-based truth), Rajah (thought-based motive) and Tamah (emotion-based decision). Both Western psychology and Balinese conceptions of the spirit world see the human being as vulnerable to numerous unconscious motives. In order to win favour from spirits, humans need to appease them by offering the best treatment possible. For the Balinese, art is the best product of a human being and thus becomes the ideal antidote to evil. The philosophical purpose of Wayang, by using music, song, dance and narrative, is to exorcise the demonic, showing us first what it looks like and then returning it into its divine form. Unlike most of the West where God is dead, Bali is an island where spirits of good and evil are very much alive and performances are frequently interrelated with them in one way or another.

Many different forms of Wayang are in Bali today, such as Wayang Ramayana, Wayang Wong (a dance-drama genre in which the dancers speak and emulate puppets), Wayang Gambuh (based mainly on the Panji cycle of stories), Wayang Kulit Calonarang (focused on witchcraft and black magic), Wayang Cupak and Wayang Kulit Sasak (based on Muslim stories) and some new and experimental versions. These relatively new artistic explorations and experimentations (mainly explored at ISI Denpasar Institute rather than in villages), involve a wide range of puppet shapes and sizes (ranging from less than 0.3 metres to 2 metres tall), many different lighting devices, from traditional simple torches through to modern, elaborate lighting equipment that produces special effects. Scenic backgrounds and settings are variously featured through lighting, pictures and moving backgrounds like a diorama. Video projection is also being explored as technology increases in availability and decreases in cost. In place of the traditional leather Wayang puppets, the performance may use plastic versions of these puppets with new designs and characters, newly created rod puppets and human actors and actresses. Although the themes and contents generally remain traditional, the forms have been carefully and extensively developed. In Wayang, as in so much of Balinese culture, little tension exists between those who wish to preserve and those who innovate. In fact, often the younger custodians of tradition are those who also innovate according to the appropriateness of the performance time, place and circumstance.