Sahita turns traditional art on its head

Sahita, a dance theater troupe from Surakarta, Central Java, is one of the very few female comedy groups in the country, and perhaps the only five-member band combining Javanese dancing, theater, singing and satire.

The group’s members present everyday stories in a humorous, parodic and rustic style, now and again making fun of themselves, mostly by using Javanese verses interspersed with jokes, sometimes bordering on the obscene.

Apart from their graceful dance movements, members of Sahita are experts at imitating the sounds of gamelan instruments. This group is also known for criticizing polygamy, rice imports, corruption as well as cash aid.

One of their verses goes something like this: “They say our country is agrarian, but our people are begging for rice. They say our land is fertile, but our farmers find it hard to grow crops. They say our nation is prosperous, but so many greedy people are still around.”

Sahita consists of five artists: Wahyu Widayati (Inonk), Sri Setyoasih (Tingtong), Sri Lestari (Cempluk), Suharti and Atik Kenconosari.

Sri Lestari graduated from Sebelas Maret State University (UNS), Surakarta, while the rest from the Indonesian Arts College (STSI) – now the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI), Surakarta.

Inonk explained Sahita, as a dance theater troupe, had never had a star, a dominant actress in all the years the members had been together.

Set up nine years ago, Sahita has been quite productive with over a dozen shows already staged in various cities including Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta.

Most of their shows are inspired by Javanese classical poetry, songs and dances like Srimpi Srimpret, Gathik Glinding, Srimpi Ketawang Lima Ganep, Iber-iber Tledhek Barangan, Pangkur Brujul, Seba Sawaka, or Alas Banon.

“Sahita keeps running smoothly as we’ve stayed close friends. We were together for years in Gapit Theater. We formed Sahita after Gapit disbanded. So we know how to behave around each other,” Inonk pointed out.

Srimpi Srimpet was Sahita’s first show, in response to Serat Kalatida, Javanese poetry composed by court bard Ronggowarsito.

Srimpi is one of Javanese classical court dances considered sacred. Performed by four virgins, it follows poetry chanting that conveys moral values, displaying very refined movements with young women wearing elaborate outfits.

In the hands of Sahita, the sacred dance became Srimpi Srimpet (literally, stumbling Srimpi). So the parody put Srimpi in the context of today’s issues. The four dancers remained faithful to the “original” version of Srimpi, but the choreography and costumes were altered.

Sahita members wore ordinary, dull colored sarongs and kebaya (traditional long-sleeved blouses), with untidy gray hair to portray women in their sixties. They then performed a country version of the real Srimpi, raising their bottoms, shaking their hips and even laying down on the floor.

Their imitating of gamelan music and animal screams turned upside down the serene atmosphere that should have prevailed during Srimpi, deriding the sacred dance.

“We wanted to challenge the exclusiveness of this art. Srimpi can in fact be performed by anybody. But those claiming to be on the noble side have restricted Srimpi to young and attractive female performers. That’s plain discrimination,” said Inonk at the Central Java Cultural Center.

Inonk added that Srimpi Srimpet had been criticized by court circles for degrading high elements of Javanese culture.

Sahita organizes its shows in a very practical manner, only requiring that performers wear everyday clothes and a little make up. They perform in black-box theaters as well as open air venues, campus yards and village halls.

Sahita is virtually a blend of modern and traditional, offering comic relief for everyone using Javanese dancing.

While Sahita is not a group of comedians, its performances are exhilarating, inviting laughter.

The audience need not think too much, let alone interpret intricate choreography.

With Sahita, everything looks simple and fresh.

That’s why the troupe’s performances are always packed.