WAYANG KULIT

WAYANG KULIT: HOW DID IT CAME

TO BE?

 Originates in Indonesia
 “The Masterpiece of Javanese Performance
Arts”
 It is greatly influenced by Shamanism,
Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.
WAYANG KULIT: HOW DID IT CAME
TO BE?

 Early influences in Indonesian theater

include improvisational poetry games and
trance-dancing led by shamans
 The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, two
great sanskrit works of India, were derived
into Javanese epics. They played an
important role in the theater’s development.
WAYANG KULIT: WHAT IS IT?
 Wayang is a term for puppetry
 A dalang (puppet master) manipulates all
the puppets, recites improvised narration
and dialogue, and cues the gamelan
orchestra.
 Wayang Kulit makes use of flat puppets
that are cut and designed with intricate
patterns.
IMAGES:

Wayang
dalang
WAYANG KULIT: WHAT IS IT?
 The shadow images can be shown when
projected on a screen with an oil lamp/
electric light to bring life to the shadow
images on the screen
WAYANG KULIT: WHAT IS IT?
 Performances can be for religious rituals
or for entertainment.
WAYANG KULIT: WHAT IS THE ART OF
PUPPETRY?
 Puppets are sculpted from wood, painted
on scrolls, or sometime carved out of
animal hide.
 Human actors sometimes do puppetry
using their own body as they move in a
puppet like style.
IMAGES:
Puppet being made
Wayang Orang
WAYANG KULIT: TYPES OF STORIES
 Mahabharata/Islamic tale/local folklore:
In all stories, balance and order are
restored to a world threatened by chaos
WAYANG KULIT: TYPES OF STORIES
 Legong: It is Bali’s best known dance
drama. In Legong, young girls, who wear
tightly wrapped sarongs and flower
headdresses, perform the gamelan music.
WAYANG KULIT: TYPES OF STORIES
 Kecak:
 “The Balinese Monkey Chant”
 In Kecak, a male chorus circles a temple
courtyard, imitating the “cak-cak” sound
of monkeys as the epic Ramayana is
enacted in a pantomime.
 The dalang narrates
 Primarily done for entertainment
WAYANG KULIT:
DISTINGUISHING CHARASTERISTICS
 The Puppets:
-size ranges from six inches to three feet
-mounted on sticks from the buffalo horn.
-The complete set of the Wayang Kulit is
300-400 figures
-Traditional performance starts at 8:30
p.m. and lasts until dawn or 9-10 hours
of performance
WAYANG KULIT:
DISTINGUISHING CHARASTERISTICS
 The Characters
- Characters are based on the epic stories
of Hinduism
-Characters vary size, shape, color, and
costume.
-Minor figures also differ according to their
type like: ogre, clown god, etc.
WAYANG KULIT:
DISTINGUISHING CHARASTERISTICS
 The Dalang
- Person in charge of manipulating the
figures, narrating the story, interpreting
the characters, singing songs, producing
sound effects, and giving cues for the
gamelan.