Living in the capital city has distanced many young people from their roots and traditional arts, including the traditional Javanese opera called wayang orang.

But for Anambi Bagus Putra, 22, wayang orang is his world, not just a career option.

'I grew up watching my father and grandfather perform and I always wanted to follow in their path,' he said on Wednesday, claiming that his family never forced him to be a wayang performer.

Anambi, the grandson of Wayang Orang Bharata group's director of plays, said learning about Javanese culture was not difficult for him as he grew up in a predominately Javanese neighborhood.

'The art is in my blood. I was born to do it,' said the fifth generation wayang orang performer.

Anambi said the only rough patch he faced on the road to becoming a wayang performer occurred during his childhood.

He recalled when his schoolmates mocked and alienated him just because he was an anak wayang (a descendant of wayang performers).

'They said wayang was old fashioned and they were ashamed of being friends with an anak wayang,' he said.

He said the mockery did not stop him from learning more about the traditional arts. Things started to look up when he went abroad with the Bharata group.

'When they found out I was going abroad to perform, they all wanted to learn,' he said with laughter.

Anambi, now a father himself, said he was determined to support his family through the traditional art.

'Besides performing at the Bharata building once a week, I also accept performance offers and teach dance on occasion,' he said.

Among young Jakartans attempting to reach success through more alluring conventional jobs, there are still those who have decided to continue their family's legacy in the traditional arts.

Sri Ayu Winata, 22, who was born into the Tjitjih Sudanese theater group, said she once dreamed of another profession when she was young.

'Like other kids, I also wanted to be a doctor,' she said.

But as she got older, Sri said that the Sundanese art grew on her.

'I started to feel more comfortable with the idea of becoming a West Javanese jaipong dancer and a stage actress like my parents,' she said.

Sri said she would never give up on theater despite the fact that it did not fully support her financially.

'I have two jobs right now. When I don't perform, I work as a promotion girl,' she said.

Miss Tjitjih Theater now relies on subsidies from the city administration.

According to Javanese dancer and composer Atilah Boeryadjaya, the preservation of the traditional art lies on the willingness of parents to introduce it to their children.

Atilah, who is the granddaughter of Javanese nobleman Mangkunegara VII, said that although parents could not force their children to take interest in the traditional arts, they could simply introduce them.

'I, for example, teach my children about Indonesian culture through music or dance,' said the co-founder of Mitra Wayang Orang Indonesia, a group of Javanese opera lovers consisting of socialites who train and perform Javanese plays.

Atilah's daughter, 8-year-old Latisha Putri Ravania Soeryadjaya, said she became interested in Javanese dance when she saw her mother practice at home.

Latisha said she also learned other dance styles such as hip-hop and ballet.

'But I love Javanese dance most,' she said on the sidelines of a wayang orang rehearsal for Srikandi Kembar Tujuh (Srikandi Septuplets) at the Wayang Orang Bharata theater in Senen, Central Jakarta.

Latisha, who studied at an international school, said she was also eager to learn the Javanese language.

'I want to know what my mother talks about when she speaks Javanese,' she said.

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