Amid the congested traffic on Jl. Majapahit, passersby can faintly hear the sound of gamelan music coming from the Malang Arts Council (DKM) building. 

The classic Javanese songs were performed by a group of sinden (gamelan orchestra singers) consisting of children and teenagers of the Taruna Krida Rasa art studio as part of the annual dalang (puppet master) parade.

“This year’s parade is joined by 16 dalang cilik [child puppeteers] who have been studying at the studio for at least one year,” said dalang trainer Suwarno, 62, in Malang, East Java, on Oct. 26.

The Taruna Krida Rasa art studio gives lessons on the arts of pedalangan wayang kulit (leather-figure puppetry), sinden and gamelan every Friday at its building. Available for free, the students vary from children and teenagers to adults. Those who want to pay for the lessons can contribute as much or as little as they like.

The parade of dalang, themed Strengthening Culture and Reach for Love, was performed in two sessions. The first session from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. featured dalang cilik, while the second session from 7 p.m. until finish was designated for adults.

Nine-year-old Sulthan Adi Nugroho, who led the parade, shared how he had learned to become a leather puppet master two years ago. This year is his second performance and he had never performed outside shows held by the studio before. 

“I was telling the story of Anoman, who is powerful, kind and clever during battles. I got confused during the performance as I forgot the story line. Fortunately my companion reminded me by reading the script he brought along,” said Sulthan.

These dalang cilik were given 30 minutes to tell the story of Wahyu Makutoromo alternately in a relay style. The inspiring story of creating a peaceful world with love follows the disasters that continue to happen in the Kingdom of Astina, which could only be settled with Wahyu Makutoromo (Makurotomo clues). 

“A show of wayang kulit is usually performed for up to nine hours per story. Since [the parade] serves as a training opportunity for these dalang, they were given the freedom to choose parts of the Wahyu Makutoromo story to be performed for 30 minutes,” said Suwarno, adding that among the challenges in teaching the students was introducing kromo inggil or the ultra-polite, refined version of the Javanese language, as the children were accustomed to using Indonesian or Malangan-style Javanese languages. 

According to Suwarno, the first phase of mastering puppetry is learning the Javanese language and songs for three months. The process includes appropriately and ethically addressing their parents in attitude and behavior and voice pronunciation and intonation. The next lesson is learning how to move precisely alongside music tones and delve into the story that is being presented. 

“If this wayang kulit art is not learned by Indonesian children, who else will?” said Suwarno.

The performances of dalang cilik ended with 8-year-old Zulfikar, who has been learning at the studio for three and a half years, although he strives to become a soccer player. 

“I will continue learning the puppetry of wayang kulit, even though my main aspiration is to become a soccer player. I have performed several times at shows outside the studio,” he said.

Zulfikar’s mother, 38-year-old Risaroh, said it was her son who wanted to learn how to become a dalang. “None of us [as his parents] are involved in the traditional art scene,” she said.

However, Risaroh finds the lessons had made a positive impact on Zulfikar. “After joining the stu dio, Zulfikar began to speak more softly in everyday life, as well as use kromo inggil, especially when speaking to people older than him, which is sometimes considered weird among his friends who are more accustomed to the Malangan style of Javanese language, which is deemed rather harsh,” said Risaroh.

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