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Wahyu Inong Widayati: On motivator, dancer & parody
(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)Originally formed in 2001 as a forum of reunion between four close friends from the same college, Sahita, a theater, dance and parody group, has made Wahyu Widayati alias Inong famous
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(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi) (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
Originally formed in 2001 as a forum of reunion between four close friends from the same college, Sahita, a theater, dance and parody group, has made Wahyu Widayati alias Inong famous. The four used to be members of Teater Gapit, a Javanese drama troupe in Solo, Central Java.
'After the demise of Mas Kenthut [Bambang Widoyo, Teater Gapit's leader], our theater activities were declining and finally came to a standstill. So we gathered in Sahita after being absent from drama shows for quite some time,' said Inong.
Unexpectedly, Sahita has survived up to this point. Combining dance, drama, parody and comedy, the group comprises Sri Lestari (Cempluk), Suharti (Hartuk), Sri Setyoasih (Thing-thong), Atik Kenconosari and Inong. Except Sri Lestari, a graduate of Sebelas Maret State University, Solo, the other four are alumni of the city's Indonesian Arts Institute.
'Sahita has indeed brought fame to its members. But for me, Gapit was my greatest instructor that guided me to become an artist,' said Inong, who currently works with the Central Java Cultural Center (TBJT), in Surakarta (Solo).
Although a graduate of the Indonesian Classical Arts High School (SMKI) and the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI), Inong claimed she had never aspired to be a professional dancer. 'My physique is not ideal for a dancing, let alone for refined Javanese dances. I'm not pretty and not slender enough,' the wife of Murtianto said while laughing.
Her only wish was to become a dance instructor at a formal school. One of her relatives in the city's Education and Culture Office also promised to help her find a job as an art teacher.
But her goal of giving dance lessons was sidetracked by Kenthut's offer to join Teater Gapit for a role in a play, Reh (Rule), in 1987. She was chosen due to her talent in performing nembang (Javanese poetry singing), which was seen as above average.
'I was only singing in the first show. But in the following performances I had to act and assume a lead role. I learned a lot from Gapit,' recalled Inong, who was born in Sragen, Central Java, on Feb. 1, 1964.
Teater Gapit, and later Sahita, have made her more popular as a theater performer rather than a dancer. She feels fortunate to have been directed by Gapit artists like Dedek Wahyudi, Djarot B Darsono, Trisno Santoso (Pelok), Wahyudiato and Budi Prasetyo (Bayek).
Her dancing, singing and acting abilities eventually led to her appointment as a civil servant at the Central Java Cultural Center, which caused her to abandon her desire to be a formal school dance instructor.
In Gebang village, Masaran, Sragen, Central Java, Inong was born into a family of farmers. Her grandmother's home, which was not far from her parents' home, was the place where a roving dance troupe known as tledhek barangan used to sojourn.
'In Sragen, tledhek dancers were traveling to different villages for a long time. They frequently rested for two to three days in the main hall of my grandma's big house, where I learned to dance by joining them when the practiced,' she related.
According to Inong, these dancers were the first to expose her to Javanese dances and poetry songs. This childhood experience prompted her to enter SMKI and later ISI, where she met her peers that she described as mavericks who joined up to play dramas and form Sahita.
With Sahita, Inong made an appearance to entertain the audience at a colossal dance drama show, Matah Ati (2013), which depicted the romance between Prince Sambernyawa and Rubiyah and their fight against Dutch troops. In September Inong also joined an international dance festival, Asia Tri, at the Ullen Sentalu Museum, Kaliurang, Yogyakarta.
In its early period, Sahita caused a stir among the royal circles of Surakarta through the group's Srimpi Srimpet, a parody of the court dance Srimpi, which was seen as a degradation of the sacred dance. Yet Inong kept going.
'I criticized the sacralization of the dance by the elite. Palace arts and culture should be left open to the public in order to preserve them. Otherwise traditional arts would only be artifacts,' said Inong.
Inong as the motivator of Sahita, indicated that she had been arranging training schedules, reconciling differences on stage and communicating group members' aspirations.
'For choreography, the others are more talented than me. There's no single director in Sahita's shows. We all handle story selection, script writing and choreography together,' noted Inong.
But in her 10-year association with Sahita, Inong has created almost the same number of stories including Srimpi Srimpet (2001). With her initial involvement in Teater Gapit, Inong did not deny the influence of Kenthut as the founder and director of Gapit on Sahita.
'Kethut introduced and guided me to the world of arts. It's only proper if the style and color of Teater Gapit have affected me and later also Sahita,' admitted Inong, who in September livened up Solo City Jazz with Sahita.
Apart from such influence, Inong's command of traditional dances, gamelan, poetry singing as well as her mastery of comedy and parody become a magnet for spectators watching Sahita's plays. No wonder many circles have regarded Sahita as synonymous with Inong.
'In the creative process, I'm just a coordinator of rehearsals that gives instructions. Everything else is the result of their improvisations,' Inong added in a humble tone.
