Indonesian Wayang Kulit: Shadow Puppet Theater

Music

• Studying the characteristics of Indonesian Theater can be done through video films or live performances

Learning Competencies of Module

• Identifying musical characteristics of Asian musical theater through videos is a key competence
• Describing the instruments that accompany Kabuki, Wayang Kulit, and Peking Opera is a key competence
• Describing how a specific idea or story is communicated through music in Asian musical theater is a key competence

Wayang Kulit

• Shadow Puppet Theater is a well-known Indonesian theater popular not only in their own country but in several countries around the world
• Wayang Kulit in Central Java is one of the oldest continuous traditions of storytelling in the world
• Traditions include use of puppet materials and background musical accompaniment.
• Wayang is an Indonesian and Malay word for “theater”
• When the term is used to refer to kinds of Puppet Theater, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang
• Kulit means skin and refers to the leather construction of the puppets
• The puppets are carefully-cut with very fine tools
• Puppets have carefully- shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods

Wayang Kulit Performance

• The audience is the most important person
• The dalang prepares all the materials like the cloth and the light for the shadow
• The puppet on the right side signifies the good character, the left hand side, the bad
• The open space between them, about 2 meters wide, represents the stage
• Wayang Kulit was performed in royal court and widely performed in public on religious occasions

Dalang

• The dalang is the puppeteer.
• Dalang is creative, humorous, and flexible
• Dalang manipulates the puppets, sings, and taps out signals to the orchestra
• Dalang speaks the parts of all the characters
• Use of voice interchangeably is the main ability of a dalang to give more life to a different character
• Dalang is the chief performer who tells a story to the accompaniment of gamelan ensemble

Arts

• Designed as a module for knowledge about the designs, visual elements and components of selected festival or theatrical form through costumes and props of China, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand
• Designs the visual elements and components of the selected festival or theatrical form through costumes, props, etc.

Peking Opera of China

• Staging is done on square platforms
• Stage action is usually visible from at least three sides
• Stages were built above the line of sight of the viewers
• Some modern stages have been constructed with higher audience seating divided into two parts by an embroidered curtain called a shoujiu
• Costume: Xingto, popular known as Xifu, in Chinese origins of Peking opera
• Costumes can be traced back to the mid-14th century
• Costumes enable the audience to distinguish a character sex and status at first glance
• noble or humble, civilian or military, officials or private citizens
• costumes give expression to sharp distinctions between good and evil or loyal and wicked characters
• Oblong wings (chizi) attached to a gauze hat indicate a loyal official
• A corrupt official wears a gauze hat with rhomboidal wing.

Peking Opera Props

• Utilizes very few props
• Almost always have a table and at least one chair, which can be turned through convention into such diverse objects as a city wall, a mountain, or a bed
• A whip is used to indicate a horse, and a oar symbolizes a boat.
• Musicians are visible to the audience on the front part of the stage
• Viewers are always seated south on the stage, therefore, north is the most important direction
• Performers immediately move to the center north upon entering the stage
• All characters from the east and exit from the west

Peking Opera Face Painting or Jingju Lianpu

• Face painting is done with diverse colors in accordance with the performing characters' nature and historical valuation
• The hero type characters are usually painted in comparatively simple colors whereas enemies, bandits, rebels and other have more intricate designs of their faces
• It is a special way of make-up in Chinese operas in pursuit of the anticipated effect of performance
• Lianpu is called the false mask

Kabuki of Japan

• Hanamichi: a flower path, a walkway which extends into the audience via which dramatic entrances and exits are made
• Okuni performs on a hanamachi stage with her entourage.
• Kogakudo: kabuki theaters that have stages both in front of the audience and along the sides help create a bond between the actors and viewers
• Mawaru butai: the interior of the theater contains a revolving stage
• Suppon: a platform that rises from below the stage
• Hanamicho: a walkway that cuts throughthe audience seating area to connect the stage with the back of the theater
• Magicians and supernatural being often make their entrance from trap doors in the hanamachi
• Some stages have 17 trapdoors.

Kabuki Props

• Props are often quite interesting
• Flowing water is usually represented by fluttering rolls of linen: or creatures like insects and foxes
• Props often have symbolic meanings
• Fans are used to symbolized wind, a sword, a tobacco pipe, waves, or food

Kabuki Costumes

• Swung from sticks or manipulated by helpers who come on stage dressed in black hooded robesso, they are invisible to the audience
• Hakuma trousers are worn by characters of all sexes
• Actors playing both sexes often have a supported midriff because a straight and curve less figure are regarded the essence of beauty

Kabuki Wigs

• Costume changing is considered as an art
• These are special teams that take care of complete and partial costume changes and are done as part of the performances
• Wigs are important accessories, with each costume having its own type
• Specialized craftsmen shape the wigs to the head
• Wigs are made of human hair, horse hair, bear fur, or yak-tail hair imported from Tibet

Wayang Kulit of Indonesia Figure Creation

• The puppet starts from master models (typically on paper) which are traced out onto skin or parchment, providing the figures with an outline and with indications of any holes that will need to be cut (such as for the mouth or eyes)
• The figures are then smoothened, usually with a glass bottle, and primed
• The structure is inspected and eventually the details are worked through
• A further smoothing follows before individual printing, which is undertaken by yet another craftsman
• Finally, the movable parts, upper arms, lower arms with hands, and the associated sticks for manipulation are mounted on the body, which has a central staff by which it is held

Nang Shadow Puppets Show of Thailand

• The puppet shows have a religious theme or have an episode from the Ramayana epic which contains dozens of individual stories
• They may also be specially written to include up-to-the minute reflections, songs, and poems about local events and matters of current interest in the district or country
• There are hundreds of different characters, each with a distinctive shadow, but the show will almost always include a clown, funny old man, scatter-brained old woman, or rather stupid yokel, who are all great favorites with the fun-loving audiences

Two Types of Nang

• Nang Talung: are played with leather puppets, each representing a separate character about 50 centimeters high and usually possess a movable, jointed arm controlled by a string
• Nang Yai: are normally made of cowhide and rattan, a large, decorated scene and characters measuring around two meters high and a meter wide, and they do not have jointed arms, but the themes and styles remain the same.

Chinese Spring: New Year Festival

• The dragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture: like the lion dance it is most often seen in festive celebrations
• Many Chinese people often use the term “Descendants of the Dragon” (long de chuan ren) as a sign of ethnic identity
• The emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power and strength
• The dragon dance is a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations held worldwide in Chinatowns around the world
• The dragon symbolizes power, strength and good luck
• The dance team mimics the supposed movements of this river spirit in a flowing, rise and fall manner
• The movements in a performance traditionally symbolize historical roles of dragons demonstrating power and dignity
• Dragons are believed to bring good luck to people, which are reflected in their qualities that include great power, dignity, fertility, wisdom and prosperity
• The appearance of a dragon is both frightening and bold but it has a benevolent disposition
• The main objectives of wearing Chinese costumes are to maintain the sanctity of their tradition
• The people get haircuts and makeovers so that they are fully ready to welcome the New Year in a brand new style

Taiko Drum Festival of Japan Costumes

• Happi-coats over black with white calligraphy
• A baggy-sleeved short cotton jacket, tied with a sash (obi) around the waist
• Usually a plain color, typically blue or black, with a symbol printed on the lapels and on the back
• Uchite, taiko drummer, can wear loose fitting happi (short coat), with an obi.
• Hachimaki-white headband
• Tabi-shoes with big toe separated
• Odaiko-big drum
• Jozuke-medium drum
• Chime-small drum

Balinese Dance Festival of Indonesia Costumes

• Most female dancers wear various colors of makeup; a crown and both real and golden flowers in their hair
• Sarong and wrap a long sash from their hips to their breasts as well as many gold decorations (crowns and decorations are made from cowhide)
• Male dancers wear makeup (use more redcolor for their eyes and cheeks and their eyebrows are colored to enhance masculinity)
• A mask when they dance the topeng dance; a crown; a cloak or many pieces of these clothes around their body
• Male dancers also carry a sword on their shoulders

Lantern Festivals of Thailand

• Sky Lantern (Yi Peng): made of rice paper with a bamboo or wood frame and wire to hold the candle or flammable coil
• Loy or Loi Krathong: Krathong or Flower floating basket made from banana leaves flowers candle and joss sticks

Physical Education

• The module allows learners to execute the skills involved in the dances PE8rd-IVC-1

Basic Steps in Folk Dancing

• Learning the different basic dance steps and basic dance terms in performing a folk dance, particularly Binislakan, Pangalay, Sakuting and Sua- Ku- Sua
• Padyak is when you stamp or tap one foot but the body weight is on the opposite foot
• Saludo means to bow
• Arms in Lateral Position features both arms on one side at shoulder level on either the right or left
• A dance set is a dance formation for more than one couple
• To be bend means to move a body or part of the body around the wide axis
• To leap is to bounce from one foot and land on the other foot

Basic Folk Dancing Steps

• Slide/Glide: slide, close
• Skip: step - hop
• Bleking: hell-place, close
• Gallop: step and cut
• Mincing: tiny steps
• Parallel Tortillier: pivot and turn heels, pivot and turn toes
• Pivot Turn: step, ball and turn
• Touch Step: touch, close
• Change Step: step, close, step
• Waltz Step: step right foot; step left foot close to right foot in rear, step right
• Waltz Turn: execute two waltz steps to make a turn
• Stamping: step either right foot or left foot and close.

Health

• You will learn the negative health impact of drinking alcohol
• Discussing the effects when alcohol enters the bloodstream
• H8S-IVe-f-31: Analyzes the negative health impact of drinking alcohol.
• H8S-IVg-h-32: Describes the harmful short- and long-term effects of drinking alcohol.
• Interprets blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in terms of physiological changes in the body. Explains the impact of drinking alcohol on the family, and community.

Alcohol

• Alcohol is a colorless, bitter-tasting substance that humans have been consuming since the ancient times
• It comes from plants that underwent fermentation, the process of extracting alcohol from a plant of a fruit
• A beer is extracted from grains
• Wines are from grapes and other fruits
• There are three types of alcohol: isopropyl, methanol and ethanol and those are poisonous and fatal if taken
• Ethanol is also called the beverage alcohol
• When humans consume this in unregulated amount, it may result to intoxication and alteration of the nervous system
• It can cause intoxication and hangover
• Intoxication happens when physical and mental changes in the body of an alcohol drinker occur
• Hangover takes place when an alcohol drinker feels uncomfortable effects after drinking
• When alcohol enters the bloodstream, it goes in all the parts of the body The main impact of alcohol drinking reflects on a person's central nervous system (CNS)
• The CNS controls one's mental processes, memory, speech, learning, and decision- making
• It also affects a person's senses, feelings, movements and breathing
• The amount of alcohol that entered in the bloodstream at a certain period can be measured in percentages through blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) or most often called blood alcohol level (BAL)
• A BAC of 0.05 percent means there is five (5) parts of alcohol per 10,000 parts of blood in the body
• A 0.3 – 0.5 percent BAC could lead to coma, brain damages, and death