Mask dramas
Topeng literally means "pressed against the face" or
mask. All actors in Topeng dramas are masked. Refined characters
wear full masks; clowns and servants sport a half mask, which
facilitates speaking. Topeng is a tremendously popular form in
Bali, as it relates local lore and historical tales concerning
the royal lineages in scenes of everyday life. Topeng is also
immensely entertaining, as the use of humor and clowns is extensive.
The first dancers to emerge are the pengelembar or introductory
characters - three or four ministers at the court. Next to appear
is the penasar, by far the most important character in the play.
His role is a combination of storyteller, royal servant, stage
director, and at times music conductor. He extols the virtues
of the king in a sung soliloquy alternating between Kawi and Balinese.
As in many dance dramas, form takes precedence over plot.
His younger brother and sidekick Kartala then comes out and the
two engage in slapstick antics. Both the penasar and Kartala wear
half-masks and speak in colloquial Balinese. The king then appears,
moving with delicate steps and thus showing his refined nature.
He gestures - as his full mask prevents him from speaking - and
the penasar translates for him.
Inevitably there is a kingdom to conquer or a person to rescue.
The servants of an opposing king appear and more clowning takes
place. Often a series of masked dancers with grotesque features
appear one at a time under the guise of joining the king's army
or going to pay homage at the palace. Here, the audience goes
wild. Masks with three sets of teeth, burlesque women - even tourists
in cock-eyed berets appear on the scene. If the audience is receptive,
these antics could go on for hours. Imbedded in the joking, however,
are values of religious piety and honesty that the Balinese treasure.
Topeng, along with the wayang kulit shadow play, is the primary
medium through which Balinese history, values, and even knowledge
of current events are transmitted. In the end, the two factions
contend, and the "bad guys" admit defeat.
Prembon
The Balinese love to create new genres by melding together different
forms. In the 1940s the king of Gianyar, I Dewa Manggis VIII,
summoned his royal dancers and asked them to create a new dance
called Prembon, taking elements from the Gambuh, Arja (a kind
of operetta), Topeng, Parwa (a no masked form based on the Mahabharata)
and Baris.
A night of Prembon often begins with a solo Baris and some other
tari lepas (non-dramatic dance). A story of Balinese kings with
characters from all of the above forms is then presented, although
it most resembles a Topeng performance. Watching Prembon gives
the uninitiated an excellent glimpse of all of these genres in
a way that is easier to follow than say, Gambuh or Arja. And often
it is the best dancers of each tradition that perform these pieces. |
