Gambuh Classical Performance Part IV

The instructor always uses the repeating-after method to teach speech diction and song. After the instructor recites a lyric or line of dialogue, the beginner repeats it. The students would typically have to listen to and watch repeatedly every single piece of movement or line. Through this repetition a beginner starts to internalise and learn the subjects one after another. The learning process of the vocabulary of movements for one character would typically take from six to ten months, while the process for learning speech diction is very much dependent on the student’s talent – it may take as little as three months or up to more than a year. The local term for diction is seni suara, or ucapan. Since Gambuh is a form of well-known traditional theatre, people throughout the island are always familiar with the stylistic diction of each character. Consequently, the instructor does not need to tell students which diction belongs to what character or which character speaks quickly or slowly; they have had knowledge of these aspects since childhood. What they need to learn is how to get there; that is, how to train the voice and

what method to use in order to master a specific type of speech diction. At this stage, the student begins to internalise enough of the basic body posture, movement and speech diction in order to enact a dramatic character; later the student may explore in more depth and experiment with the character as technical skills mature and develop.

To approach the composition, instructors mostly employ the Structure, Analysis and Synthesis method, unknown theoretically but practised instinctively and traditionally by most instructors. This method of training prompts the instructor to first show and explain the whole structure, the forms and supporting elements of a composition. It is considered very important for the beginner to first have a mental understanding of the whole composition, although the beginner cannot physically begin from the whole structure. Students can only physically begin little by little from the smallest integrated elements. Consequently, the instructor has to analyse, break down and separate the whole composition into parts, from parts into units, from units into sections, then finally into smallest movement, phrase or line. The beginner starts with this smallest movement/line via imitation, repetition, emulation, sophistication, modification and finally perfection (as described earlier), during which the integrated elements are assembled, synchronised or synthesised accordingly.

 

The following description is based on one case study, a typical ceremonial performance held on 6 December 2004 from 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in Singakerta village, Ubud district, Gianyar regency.

One person acts as co-ordinator and issues a document to all concerned once the date of performance is finally decided, according to calendar and practical demands. In particular, the costume team need to know the exact details well in advance. The notification lists cast, musicians, time of performance, rehearsal arrangements and team leaders for each section of responsibility. From this point on the work begins. 

A partial rehearsal, in which one or more dancers practise a certain part of the dance-drama independently without engaging the entire group members is typical practice; these rehearsals take place from 27 November through to 5 December 2004. Most of these rehearsals take place anywhere from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on campus. The general rehearsal typically begins about 20 minutes to 1 hour behind the scheduled time, although a few individual–partial rehearsals may have been initiated several minutes earlier. In Bali, a sense of time and its importance exists that is very different from the Western concept. Punctuality is not important; everything happens in its own time and other factors concerning family and temple nearly always take precedence over a specific event such as a rehearsal.