Written by : Siti Nurafiqah binti Zulkifle
The Kuda Kepang dance is famous for its mystical powers. This dance has other names such as jaran kepang, kuda lumping, jathilan and ebeg. For Javanese ‘jaran’ is a horse while ‘kepang’ refers to weaving. For the Javanese community, the nickname for the popular kepang horse is the jaran kepang because the show presented is using horse weaving.
Kuda kepang are made using woven bamboo. At first, kuda kepang used woven pandan but now some are made of plywood or cowhide. It is usually black with yellow feathers. However, renovations have taken place when there are also horses wrapped in velvet to make the horse look more attractive. Usually decorations like this are for the purpose of presentation at a high level.
In ancient times, the performance of kuda kepang was played in worship ceremonies. Some believe that kuda kepang are played for the living to establish contact with the spirits of the dead. Apart from that, it is believed that kuda kepang is played with the aim of cleaning the village from the interference of evil spirits, diseases and catastrophes
Kuda kepang is a kind of equestrian hero dance that originated from Java. The spread of this art has spread throughout the region in the archipelago. Its spread continued again after being brought in by the Javanese community who migrated to Malaysia and remain until now. This game is very popular, especially in the state of Johor. Not many modifications were made even after centuries of this kuda kepang art existed.
Javanese society is still not free from the belief in supernatural elements until many certain ceremonies are performed and one of them is the performance of kuda kepang. In the life of Javanese society, people have mixed between religious values and still maintain the beliefs of their ancestors.
In fact, there is an opinion that this kuda kepang dance was created by Wali Sembilan as an attraction in the efforts of people to spread Islamic teachings in Java. The events of the war that Rasulullah saw and his companions went through were presented in the form of dance.
Kuda kepang are usually performed in the open or on a large stage. Before the dance begins, Tok Bomoh will burn incense and recite spells to give energy to the horses. He will use raw eggs, flowers, grass, and water for the presentation.
Accompanied by a "danyang" who will continue to accelerate to determine the rhythm of the dance, each dancer will ride on their horses. When the music began to resonate, the dancers led by "danyang" entered the ring. The rhythm of the music starts slowly and is a bit boring. Each dancer will ride and drive a horse according to the pattern determined by the rhythm and rhythm of the song.
As the music gets faster, the horses will gallop faster. The dancers will perform strange and unusual movements such as martial arts jumping as high as six feet and so on. While the dancer is in such a state, the sounds that accompany this dance will be more lively. It is said that if the music is not lively, the dancers will pounce or kick the music player like an angry horse.
The dancers danced for two hours until they were mesmerized by the greatness of their movements. When drunk, people sometimes dream of riding a true horse while dancing to the accompaniment of music. Because of that, people try to catch up with the music. This condition is called "naik sheikh". If the situation becomes wild and uncontrollable, the tok bomoh will direct the guards stationed at each corner of the court to catch and drop people to the ground, and then the tok bomoh will recite a spell to restore the people
With seven participants dancing to the beat of the music, swinging the statues of horses to the left and to the right as if riding them, embroidered with whips to the ground, it was enough to turn the audience into a delusion while watching it. This thing is very different from the traditional performance of kuda kepang with dances that have been changed in order to fulfill the desire to remove the popular culture of the Javanese people from continuing to be shrouded in elements of superstition and shirk.
By discarding the practice of worship and possession, kuda kepang is now performed like any other dance, only art is the backbone of its culture. This show is becoming more beautiful, no longer thrilling.
Comments
Post a Comment