Mimi Rasinah's great grandchildren dance the traditional Cirebon mask dance. Rasinah's family and pupils are expected to continue the tradition of the dance. (courtesy of Kamabudaya)

The frail right hand of the 78-year-old dancer was energetic. Wearing the white mask of the wayang character Panji, she moved her arm, hand and fingers in time to the percussion and gamelan music.

Paralyzed on the left side of her body, toothless and having lost sight in her left eye, Cirebon traditional mask dancer Mimi Rasinah has maintained her love of dancing. She danced while sitting among her young pupils. Next to her sat her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

This time she danced to pass on her legacy of her dance to her kin.

In the courtyard of the grave of Cirebon founder Sunan Gunung Jati, pilgrims and passersby witnessed an emotional and historical transfer of a 500-year-old dance tradition. Cirebon is a coastal city in the northern part of West Java, on the border of Central Java.

In tears, Mimi Rasinah gave her blessing to her 22-year-old granddaughter Aerli Rasinah to preserve the tradition of the Cirebon mask dance.

The traditional Cirebon mask dance is an energetic dance with deep spiritual symbolism. Believed to have been developed by Islam missionary Sunan Kalijaga in the 16th century, Sunan Gunung Jati collaborated with him to spread Islamic teachings in Cirebon. Sunan Kalijaga used traditional Javanese art such as shadow puppetry, mask dance and music to reach the people.

The Cirebon mask dance tells the life journey of a person in society in five different characters, Panji, Pamindo, Rumyang, Tumenggung and Kelana. Accompanied by a gamelan orchestra, each mask symbolizes a different phase of a person's journey from birth to adulthood, expressed through specific characteristic movements of the dancer.

Passed on from one generation to the other in Cirebon, one of the maestros of the dance is Mimi Rasinah. After performing in various countries around the world, the small slim woman suffered from a stroke in 2005 after giving a dancing lesson at a local high school. She now uses a wheelchair and can only dance using her right arm.

A community of art and culture lovers, Kamabudaya, which aims to preserve traditional culture, were concerned about Mimi's health and the preservation of the dance.

Kamabudaya contacted Mimi and helped organize the ceremony to pass on the tradition.

Kamabudaya art director Rotua Magda Pardede said they had worked to preserve Indonesia's dying traditional art form.

"When we heard about Mimi's condition, we contacted her and helped set up this ceremony," she said.

Kamabudaya will also hold a fundraising event for Cirebon's mask dance on July 16 at Taman Ismail Marzuki.

"Mimi still teaches students at her studio. We want to help her to buy television sets, so the students can watch Mimi's movements from the studio, while Mimi can watch them in her room," Magda said.

The ceremony started with an Atur-atur ritual. Mimi and her kin prayed among other pilgrims at Sunan Gunung Jati's graveyard and asked for permission to pass on the legacy of the dance.

Her grandsons carried her in a makeshift bamboo chair to Sunan Gunung Jati's grave.

Traditionally, dancers such as Mimi believe that their talent is a gift from God and the ancestors, who must be asked for permission to continue the dance tradition.

Dancing is a spiritual task, with a lot a strict prerequisites to fulfill. Before dancing, Mimi said she would fast for forty days, eating only sticky rice, or bananas or green leaves.

"I dance because this was what my family did. It's a tradition and I will pass the legacy on to my children," Mimi told The Jakarta Post.

Aerli, a dance student in the School of Art and Dance in Bandung, said before she received the task from Mimi she had to fast and perform in seven different places in one day.

After praying, the performance began. Some 65 of Mimi's pupils danced, followed by a performance her great-grandchildren. Waci, the only surviving daughter of Mimi's four children also danced. All the time Mimi watched in the audience.

After Waci's dance, Mimi was taken to the stage. Before she started to dance, she became emotional and cried. A moment later she collected herself and danced. The performance ended with Aerli dancing.

Aerli said she had been given a large task, but had a love of dancing and would try to continue the tradition.

"I'm speechless. Mimi has given her crown, her soul to me. It's a heavy task."

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