Visit Indonesia

About Bagpacks

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 17:53:00 +0000

Minangkabau Beautiful Highland in West Sumatra

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:26:00 +0000

The name Minangkabau is thought to be a conjunction of two words, minang ("victorious") and kabau ("buffalo"). There is a legend that the name is derived from a territorial dispute between the Minangkabau and a neighbouring prince. To avoid a battle, the local people proposed a fight to the death between two water buffalo to settle the dispute. The prince agreed and produced the largest, meanest, most aggressive buffalo. The Minangkabau produced a hungry baby buffalo with its small horns ground to be as sharp as knives. Seeing the adult buffalo across the field, the baby ran forward, hoping for milk. The big buffalo saw no threat in the baby buffalo and paid no attention to it, looking around for a worthy opponent. But when the baby thrust his head under the big bull's belly, looking for an udder, the sharpened horns punctured and killed the bull, and the Minangkabau won the contest and the dispute.

The roofline of traditional houses in West Sumatra, called Rumah Gadang (Minangkabau, "big house"), curve upward from the middle and end in points, in imitation of the water buffalo's

Chek the complete photo album of Trip to Minangkabau

-->

"Kampung Sampireun" the hidden paradise in West Jawa

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 03:38:00 +0000

There is a beautiful hidden paradise in Garut Indonesia. "Kampung Sampireun" is a natural place in the center of montain with resort, small lake, pinus forest and paddy field. Kampung Sampireun is about 250 km from Jakarta, capitol of Indonesia. You can reach this place with a car that can be rented in Jakarta with passion and friendly driver. You and your familly can stay in a small cottage placed side to side with the lake.

Your family can sail with a Indonesian traditional canoe call "perahu", throughout the day. Eating typical Sundanese food is on offer using perau around from hut to hut

Spa is one of the services here

Lay Out :

Map to reach "Kampung Sapireun

Indonesian Culture

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Indonesia is rich in art and culture which are intertwined with religion and age-old traditions from the time of early migrants with Western thoughts brought by Portuguese traders and Dutch colonists. The basic principles which guide life include the concepts of mutual assistance or "gotong royong" and consultations or "musyawarah" to arrive at a consensus or "mufakat" Derived from rural life, this system is still very much in use in community life throughout the country.

Though the legal system is based on the old Dutch penal code, social life as well as the rites of passage are founded on customary or "adat" law which differs from area to area. "Adat" law has a binding impact on Indonesian life and it may be concluded that this law has been instrumental in maintaining equal rights for women in the community. Religious influences on the community are variously evident from island to island.
Like most of the performing arts of the Orient dance in Indonesia is believed by many scholars to have had its beginning in religious workship. Even today, many dances are considered sacred or can be traced back to their early spiritual associations. Among these are not only the temple dances of Bali, but also such seemingly profane dances, such as the Bedoyo Ketawang of Solo, performed only on such rare occasions that they are in peril of becoming lost for the lack of younger generation dancers able to perform them.
Dance traditions today are as widely diverse as the various ethnic cultures of which they are part. Nurtured to refined perfection in the royal Javanese courts and princely homes the classical dances of Central Java are highly stylized expressions which have probably already attained their basic movements during the height of the Hindu-Javanese culture from the 8th to the 13th century. From the courts, those dances eventually reached the broad strata of the common people who gave them a more spontaneous form of expression. In the hands of the people, these dances provided a rich source not only for popular dance dramas, but also for social dances which often display clear erotic overtones, such as Tayuban or Ngibing.
The bumbung dance of Bali which incidentally evolved into the beautiful "bumblebee dance" and Tamulilingan, a creation of Bali's late famed maestro of the dance, I Mario.
Other popular folk dances still display strong magic associations, as for instance the "kuda lumping horse dance". Whereas rigid discipline and artistry mark the dance of Java and Bali, those of Sumatra, Maluku and most of the other islands (one exception is the Gending Sriwijaya of South Sumatra) are characterized by their gracefulness and charm, a distinction which is further accentuated by the entirely different, non- gamelan, musical accompaniment.
The old traditions of dance and drama are being preserved in the many dance schools which flourish not only in the courts but also in the modern, government-run or supervised art academies where at the same time the search is continually being conducted for new expressions better adapted to modern times though based on the old traditions.

Indonesia Tourism Maps provide details of every single province of this country. Here you can look at maps of each province and detail village / regency. Here is the complete maps of Indonesia provinces that present for all visitors who want to know more about Indonesia region.

01. Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
02. North Sumatera
03. R i a u
04. Riau Archipelago
05. West Sumatera
06. J a m b i
07. Bengkulu
08. South Sumatera
09. Bangka Belitung
10. Lampung
11. Banten

12. Jakarta
13. West Java
14. Central Java
15. Yogyakarta
16. East Java
17. B a l i
18. West Nusatenggara
19. East Nusatenggara
20. West Kalimantan
21. Central Kalimantan
22. East Kalimantan

23. South Kalimantan
24. North Sulawesi
25. Gorontalo
26. West Sulawesi
27. Central Sulawesi
28. South Sulawesi
29. Southeast Sulawesi

30. North Maluku

31. Maluku
32. West Papua
33. East Papua

Javanese and Balinese Traditional Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:46:00 +0000

West Java Dance

Central Java Dance

East Java Dance

Bali Dance

Javanese dance is separated in two big part : the Sundanese; in western Java; and Jawa, in the central and east of Java include Jogjakarta. Javanese and Sundanese dance includes folk and courtly styles, but in Bali these merged into a single style shared by all social classes. In general, Indonesian dance is slow in tempo, with controlled, reserved motions. The dancers stay close to the ground (in contrast to the high leaps of Western ballet), and arm and hand movements are important. Sundanese dance tends to be more sensuous and expansive than Javanese and Balinese dance. The dance of Indonesia was strongly influenced by the diffusion of Indian culture in the 1st millennium ad. The country's dance dramas often portray episodes from Hindu epics, and some Indian influence can be observed in the use of the legs, neck, and head and in remnants of the mudras (codified hand gestures of Indian dance). In the 15th and 16th centuries the conversion of Java to Islam provided an overlay of plots, characters, and similar influences. The dances of Bali, lacking the Islamic elements, may reflect pre-Islamic forms that have disappeared from Java. The remarkable dance tradition of Bali, flourishing and evolving after 1000 years, is deeply linked to communal and spiritual life. There, ritual often consists of dance, and spirit possession is believed to occur in ceremonies such as the barong dance drama (which exorcises evil spirits from a village). Other important forms of Indonesian dance include the wayang orang (the large-scale, spectacularly staged dance adaptation of the wayang kulit, or puppet theater), which has distinct Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese variants. Its dance style probably originated in ancient unmasked dances whose modern descendants include the deeply revered bedaja, a court dance for nine women who move in unison in graceful, abstract patterns. The wayang topeng, or masked dance, is usually a solo character interpretation drawn from Hindu legends. Village customs and popular theater include other dance forms.

See The Bali Dance and hear The sound of the traditinal music call Gamelan (Bali)

The Dances

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Javanese Traditional Dance

The Javanese dance performance is really extravagant and beautiful art show of high class quality. The beautiful dance, the elegant performers, the colorful dresses, the magical gamelan music, the pendopo stage create a perfect combination of uncomparable art performance. The dance movements of Mataram Kingdom I in the 8th to 10th century, might be the same as the ones carved on the Borobudur and Prambanan temples.

For those who understand the philosophical meaning of the dance, it should easily feel the boundary of mystical Javanese life

As told in the article of Wayang Wong or Orang, the Javanese traditional dance or Wayang Wong has been flourished during the reign of King Airlangga & King Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit Kingdom. The topic was about the Jenggala Kingdom. The traditional dance which actually has been introduced in the seven or eight century of Mataram Kingdom I, was mainly purposed for ritual ceremonies. Latter on, it developed also as a dance for a show and entertainment.

Since this early period the dance had been devided to be: court and people’s dance. A traditional dance was performed among other to mark the transfer of a certain area by a King to certain influential man, as a gift by the king to appreciate his good services. As a result thereof, this area became "Daerah Perdikan" was freed from tax payment. It could be traced that the dancers or the dance group received some pieces of gold as their reward. There were also professional dancers, men and women alike to entertain the public.

The traditional dance which later on adapted the stories of Ramayana and Mahabaratha visualized the character of human beings, reflected in the movement, gamelan accompaniment, dresses, accessories, make up, the stage etc.

Classical Court Dance
The famous court dances which are available up to present date are Bedoyo and Srimpi.

Bedoyo
Bedoyo is sacred court dance performed by nine girls-dancers. All the performers must be in the holy state, physically and souly, this is a mythological dance depicting the meeting between Panembahan Senopati, the first ruler of the Mataram Kingdom II with Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, the powerful and beautiful goddess-the Queen of South Sea. The gamelan accompaniment reflecting the voices of sea wind and other natural voices.

For those who has learned in depth mysticism, during the dance performance, a tenth "invisible" dancer appears. It is said that she is a very beautiful princess, dancing impressively elegant. Some said that Bedoyo dance is sacred, as it is symbolizing a meditator’s highest achievement during samedi (medititation) by closing 9 human orifices & deflating all bad desires.

Srimpi
This dance is also a sacred dance performed by four girls-dancers. Sri means a king or queen, Impi means desire, wish. The wish to live in honor and peace. The Srimpi dance originally performed in the Pendopo (open hall) of Javanese mansion with four main pillars in the middle. It is believed when Srimpi dance is performed correctly, it should give magical power. The dance has a very soft movement depicting a good moral behavior. The dancers have the same dresses and make up, wish that people not to be jealous one to another. The life of mankind should be in accordance with the nature consisting of fire, water, wind and soil.

Petilan
This dance describing a part of a story e.g the fight between two warriors e.g Srikandi against Larasati or Janoko against Cakil. In the Petilan dance it could describe a fight between two warriors or movements of adoration between two lovers. In fact the movements are almost the same, only the topic is different. Probably the movement in love or in a fight, sometimes is slow and the other times flares up.

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Sat, 09 May 2009 23:01:00 +0000

Sendratari Ramayana, Drama in Traditional Java Dance

Ramayana Balley performance art that is beautiful, and amazing . The show is able to unify Java multiformity art form of dance, drama and music in one stage and one momentum to pass the Ramayana story, a legendary epic written by Walmiki in Sanskrit.

Ramayana story that brought on this show is similar to that curved at Prambanan Temple. As many told, the story of Ramayana that curved in the Hindu Temple is similar to the story in oral tradition in India. The way of the long story is be parted in four innings, kidnapping Sinta, Anoman mission to Alengka, Kumbakarna and Rahwana death and Remeeting of Rama and Sinta.

All the stories in the series brought by the movement of the dancers and accompanied with the beautiful gamelan music. You start to really late in the story and read every movement of the dancers to learn the story of the road. There is no dialogue terucap from the dancers, the only speaker is sinden story that describes the way through the songs in the Java language with a unique voice.

The story begins when Prabu Janaka a contest to determine the assistant Shinta Dewi (puterinya), which eventually won Rama Wijaya. Proceed with the adventure Rama, Shinta and brother of a man named Rama Laksmana in the forest Dandaka. In the forest that they met Rahwana who want to have because it is considered as Shinta Dewi Widowati incarnation, a woman who has long been dicarinya.

To attract Shinta, a change Rahwana followers named Marica a Kijang. Business is successful because it attracted Shinta and Rama memburunya request. Laksama after a long search for Rama never again be abandoned while Shinta and given a magic circle that can not be abducted Rahwana. Protection because it fails to successfully Shinta rapt after Rahwana change themselves into her Durna.

At the end of the story, Shinta successful return of the seized by Hanoman Rahwana, a mercurial figure monkey and brave. However, when brought back, Rama Shinta would not trust it again and thought that has been stained. To prove the purity itself, are required to burn raganya Shinta. Shinta purity as evidenced raganya least it does not burn but increases beautiful. Rama also eventually receive back as a wife.

You will not be disappointed when the show to enjoy this perfect because not only dance and music are prepared. Lighting is such that not only a ray of dumb, but is able to describe certain events in the story. Similarly, in the trappings of each dancer, not only beautify but also able to describe the character of leaders diperankan so that spectators can easily identify even though there is no dialogue.

You also can find not only dance but also interesting scenes such as football games and get the fire dancers act. Game ball of fire that can be found prepossess Hanoman type that will be burned alive thus successfully burn Alengkadiraja kingdom Rahwana property. While the tumbler can be found when the war with the Hanoman pursuivant Rahwana. Shinta game when the fire would burn itself also to be witnessed.

In Yogyakarta, there are two place to witness the Ramayana Ballet. First, Purawisata in Yogyakarta, located in the Brigjen Katamso Road, east of Sultan Palace. In a record-breaking has been the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) in 2002 after the ballet stage every day without ever been absent for 25 years, you will get the dinner package at the same time see the ballet. Watching the other place is in the Prambanan Temple, the place of the original story of Ramayana terpahat in candinya relief.

View One The Java Dance and hear The sound of the traditinal music call Gamelan(Java)

Langen Mondro Wanoro

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Langen Mandra Wanara

Langen means entertainment, Mandra means many and wanara is monkey in Javanese. Langen Mandra Wanara is a dance opera with the story of Ramayana. In Ramayana legend many monkey warriors bravely helped Rama to free his beautiful wife Sinta, abducted by the ogre giant-king, Rahwana.

In this dance, the dialogue is held by singing macapat tembang (songs), sung by each dancer. So the dancers are required to have a strong good voice besides dance ability. Another significant factor in Langen Mandra Wanara performance is: the dancing is conducted in a squatting position.

Langendriyan

This dance is called Langendriyan if the story presented is Damarwulan, a legend of Majapahit kingdom in the 14th century. Damarwulan was a village boy worked as a servant of the Patih (First Minister) of Majapahit. He was treated very badly by the Patih and his prodigal sons. But Patih's daughter secretly felt in love with the handsome polite villager. She knew also that in fact Damarwulan was sakti (having strong supernatural power) The peaceful kingdom was shocked by a rebellion led by a powerful Adipati (viceroy) Minak-jinggo.

The beautiful queen of Majapahit announced a prize contest stating: the one who can conquer Minakjinggo, live or death, if a man should be her husband, if a woman should be her sister. The happy ending was: Damarwulan appeared to be a hero.

Kepatihan Danurejan

Langen Mandra Wanara as well as Langendriyan were created and developed by Patih (first minister) Danurejo VII of Yogyakarta at the end of 19th century. These became classical dances developed outside the karaton (Sultan Palace) wall. Danurejo was an official name of every Patih, given by Sultan of Yogyakarta, every Sultan used to have a Patih. This position discontinued by Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX.

The first Patih was Patih Danurejo I appointed by Sultan Hamengku Buwono I. He was a loyal and brilliant supporter of Sultan Hamengku Buwono I, even before the establishment of Yogyakarta Sultanate in 1749. Due to his loyalty and bravery, he was granted a position as patih. He was given a dignified residence and office located in downtown (the present Malioboro street). This building is called to present date Kepatihan Danurejan, means the office of Patih Danurejo. Since the country's independance is the office of the Governor of Yogyakarta Special Region.

Art Appreciation

Due to Patih high position, Patih in many occasions held his own social functions by the blessing of the Sultans of course. It is easily understood that arts were also developed, new kinds created among other the Langen Mandra Wanara.

The Patih office (Kepatihan) had its own dancers, gamelan players singers, etc. Some of them had great names in arts. Langen Mandra Wanara became famous dance opera, appreciated by the community outside the karaton wall, even outside Yogyakarta region. Some dance organizations also performed this new type of dance opera.

In the earlier days the dance was performed only by male dancers. In its development Langen Mandra Wanara and Langendriyan have become a popular dance.

In 1960's, for the first time, it was danced with standing position, not squatting. It was successful, more impressive, more relax and beautiful voices could be heard. It is becoming more attractive as nowadays the dancers cum singers do not wear masks anymore.

See The Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 06:37:00 +0000

You can see the classical dance of java and bali dances here

West Java dance

Central Java

East Java

Bali Dance

Video

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:10:00 +0000

Bali Dance :

Sendratari Ramayana

noreply@blogger.com (Gerardew) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:16:00 +0000

Brought by more than 250 dancers in the original place :
Ramayana Open Stage & Trimurti Stage in Prambanan Temple complex - Yogyakarta - Indonesia

Ramayana is the best example of the Javanese story that curved on the wall of Siwa Temple in the Prambanan temple complex legacy. Prambanan Ramayana version is quite different from the original stories in India, it reflecting the adaptation of Javanese culture for centuries.

Currently, the Ramayana is adapted for performing arts only. Since 1960, hundreds of dancers have represented the ancient story of relief in an stage located in the Prambanan complex, the western part of the temple. Basically, as a traditional dance drama without long dialogue call as Sendratari Ramayana - acronym of Seni Drama dan Tari, or drama and dance - is a good director with heroism, tragedy, romance and persecution to satisfy the audience. The dances are represented under the moon-ray withthe background of temple Roro Jonggrang.

Ramayana story consists of four episodes, with one episode each night staging, which were from 07.30 until 09.30 at night for four nights in a row, each month from May until October. Stories were full in the Stage Trimurti every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which brought more than 50 professional dancers