The Mangun Dharma Art Center offers courses in dancing, gamelan, batik, wood carving and shadow puppetry. For any subject there are couses at the beginner's and advanced levels.

Dance

Dance is accessible to anyone with or without prior dance experience. East Javanese dances are usually chosen for instruction but the students may choose which dances they'd like to learn. Dance is taught in the traditional Javanese way, e.g. by example. The student follows behind the instructor and imitates his movements until they become fluid and second nature. Students are given the opportunity to perform in costume as often as possible. This is a source of enormous pride to the instructors and to the art center.

There are many different dance options available from very short and simple, to very long and complex dances. For performance classes like dance, the beginning student can expect to master one short dance within five sessions. Students often take one complete semester of dance and in 10 weeks master two dances. Students resident at the Art Center can expect to learn (however roughly) one dance within one week.

Traditional Malang style dances:

• Beskalan Putri: Beskalan is said to mean beginning dance, for the dance that originated all other female style dances in East Java. The dance depicts a female warrior called Proboretna whose beauty and skill cause men to fight over her. Proboretna was considered the flower of all Malang women warriors. The music used for beskalan is also called Beskalan, played in the tuning system called pelog. The dancer also sings during the dance to welcome all the guests to the performance. Traditionally beskalan was performed as part of fertility rites to thank the earth and the gods for their gratiousness. The dance was performed at neighborhood temples and the gravesites of important ancestors.
• Beskalan Putra: Beskalan was traditionally performed as the opening dance for any event in East Java. The male style of Beskalan was lost for many years, but is now recovered and via workshop sessions and a recording and vcd, the dance has found new life.
• Gunungsari Masked dance
• Bapang masked dance: With his big long red nose and his cheerful disposition, Bapang is one of the favorite mask dances in Malang. Although he is related to the evil King Klono, and often partakes in his nasty deeds, Bapang is too full of life to ever be truly on the wrong side.
• Klono masked dance
• Remo putri
• Remo putra
• Srimpi Limo: this is danced by five young girls, one positioned in each corner of a square and one in the center. The moves focus particularly on the hands, head and upper body, with the dancers changing places periodically. This dance is traditionally performed before ritual purification ceremonies or other spiritual events.
• Tandhakan
• Jaran kepang dor
• Caplokan

"Kreasi baru" (non-traditional Malang style dance):

• Cucak Ijo: The small green singing bird called cucak ijo is the mascot of greater Malang. Tumpang is also well known for its cucak ijo bird market. This dance depicts this small green bird with its prized voice and delicate moves. The music used to accompany the dance is based on local pieces in the East Javanese style.
• Yeg Oyeg: This dance, choreographed by M. Soleh Adi Pramono, is in the Madurese style. The dance depicts young fisher-girls imaging what their lives will be like when they marry. The music is also created to recreate the mood of Madurese tayuban, or drinking-party dancing.
• Manggala: Choreographed by M. soleh Adi Pramono, this dance combines the history of the Singhasari kingdom with moves from Malang mask dance drama. This dance shows the bravery of the Singhasari warriors during the reign of Panji Singhasari.
• Condromowo: This dance was born from the folklores that tell of the third sense: that is, the connections between the human world and the spiritual where the full moon is used as an element of purification.
• Jaran Pegon: This dance is based on horse trance dancing and composed for the childrens group. It is appropriate for younger children and is lots of fun. The kids wear sun glasses during part of the dance, which is actually part of Javanese dance!
• Krido Retna: Another dance based on horse trance dancing, this dance would be good for older children since it demands more skill than Jaran Pegon.
• Peksi Seta: Peksi Seta is a dance about a white bird. The movements are lively and reminiscent of bird movements. The music is composed in the East Javanese style.
• Wulanjar: The idea for this dance was taken by choreographer M. Soleh Adi Pramono from the dance movements used between the servant clown Potrojoyo and his master Gunungsari called Wulanjar Luru Kemiri. In the game played between servant and master they depict an old maid without children who is willing to dance with any man who invites her. This symbolizes a woman's engagement and her marriage. Guests are invited onto stage to dance together with our performers.
• Klono Gunungsari (Mask dance excerpt): This dance drama fragment depicts the evil king Klono's struggle to steal Dewi Ragilkuning, princess of Jenggolo, who is already married to Prince Gunungsari from Kediri. Gunungsari prevents Klono from taking the princess.
• Jaran pincang: This danced is based on the popular hobby horse dance, but intended for kindergarten children. It has delightful melodies and moves that are entertaining and easy for children to reproduce.
• Panji Pulangjiwo

We charge IDR 50,000 for childrens 1 hour dance sessions, and IDR 100,000 for adult 3 hour sessions ++ for lunch.

Gamelan

Javanese gamelan music is widely performed and heard in Java today; in live presentations, in radio broadcast, on cassette tapes and on TV. Instruments for the gamelan are predominantly metal, brass and iron are used, but bronze is preferred. The instrument makers are professionals who are traditionally highly regarded and associated with ritual and magic. Bronze instruments are not simply cast; they are also forged. The making of a large gong may take a month or more.

Because of the nature of gamelan music, it can be experienced within one session, but again mastery is achieved at the first level within 5-10 sessions, depending on the student's previous experience.

By the very nature of the music, beginners and advanced students of gamelan are entirely compatible since different techniques are learned on different instruments and progress is made by moving from one instrument to another. We focus on distinctly east Javanese music, but certain Central Javanese pieces are learned as well. Students are given the opportunity to perform as often as possible.

We charge IDR 100,000 per gamelan session ++ for lunch.

Students learn waxing techniques as well as working with natural and Naphtol synthetic dyes from experienced batik artists. The first projects are smaller pieces, working up to full length "kain panjang", a 2 to 3 meter piece of cloth traditionally worn as a skirt. Students are free to work in traditional pattern styles, using stamps or canthing (free hand), or they may use their own images in batik painting.

Batik students can make very simple or very complex projects depending on their time frames. Ideally the student should have 5-10 sessions in order to make a number of different pieces and using as many colors as they like; while one piece is being dyed and drying the student can work on another piece. Working with natural dyes demands more time and patience. However, one day intensive workshops are great as an introduction to batik, and the student can expect to finish one small project.

We charge IDR 100,000 per batik session ++ for lunch.

One of our instructors will take you through the carving process, from the raw wooden log to the first shaping of the face to the final sanding of the formed mask. The knives used are traditional mask carving tools which are hand shaped and prepared. The masks are usually simple character studies or simple traditional Malang-style characters with decorated headdress ornaments. Masks can also be made of papier mache in order to get into the subject.

For relief carving the students learn how to make the beautiful decorative carvings seen throughout East Java. After an introduction to the tools and the working methods, the students can choose projects. For example, decorative panels, mirror or picture frames, or they can make their own designs.

The student can expect to complete one unpainted mask within 4-5 sessions. For one session we charge IDR 100.000 ++ for lunch.

Making shadow puppets

Students are taught the intricate carving system of making East Javanese shadow puppets out of leather, as well as painting their finished puppets. They learn about the features which identify different characters and the traditionally set patterns of which they are composed. Because of the intricate design, students should expect to spend more time working on one project than in the other course options. Prices depend on the intensity of the course.

Shadow puppetry

The student is introduced to the world of East Javanese wayang, or shadow puppets. Instruction is given in sanggit, moving the puppets, as well as voice training, and introduction to the vocal style of pedhalangan. This course can ideally be combined with producing shadow puppets and is subject to individual pricing.

 top

 home