‘Wayang’ - Shadow Puppetry : SKATEBOARD SHADOW PUPPETS

The last type shadow puppets are known as skateboard shadow puppets. These shadow puppets use electric lamps and laser lights to project images from a computer. The background of these performances could be sea, mountains, forests, palaces, and shops. The puppets are played behind a big, wide screen, 4 x 3 m that is twice as big as a conventional screen. In order to play the puppets in such a wide space, a puppeteer has to be assisted by 4 to 5 other puppeteers, who move around behind the screen on skateboards – hence the name.
I Made Sidia and his friends from Gianyar founded this new type of shadow puppetry after the 2002 Bali bombings. They organised several performances in Kuta and Jimbaran to assist the traumatized community through their philosophical and entertaining performances. The puppeteers have created several new characters like African Flamingoes, Sundanese rhinoceros, and even a present-day Balinese teenage girl with gyrating hips and western attitudes, all of which meet both the story line and demand of humor.
Thus, its ritual function helps 'wayang' to be maintained and performed in its sacred form but the modern era has also allowed the creativity of the puppeteer to experiment with new forms of shadow puppets. Why not try and see both kinds while on Bali and decide which you prefer?

‘Wayang’ - Shadow Puppetry : ENTERTAINMENT – THE SECOND CATEGORY

Another type of shadow puppet is based on pure entertainment. The story will be taken from either a part of the 'Mahabharata' or 'Ramayana' epics, although the aim of the performance is purely to entertain the public. In this case, the puppeteer will dominate the show with the jokes and funny movements of his puppets. Political satire, sexual innuendos, insults, and riddles usually dominate such a performance. Mixed language between Balinese, Indonesian, and a bit of English has also become a key ingredient in the performance. The following puppeteers have become popular for their amusing shadow puppets; the late Dalang Lukluk, Dalang Joblar, and Chenk Blonk. During his performance, Chenk Blonk does not use a 'blencong' but prefers electric lamps. This is very modern. When he is chosen to entertain, Chenk Blong rarely accepts to perform a 'sapuleger' show. He prefers his shows to be recorded and sold on compact disc and is proving to be quite popular.

‘Wayang’ - Shadow Puppetry : SAPULEGER – THE FIRST CATEGORY

It is fast becoming a tradition for those born on 'wayang pawukon' to perform 'wayang' at least once during their childhood as a symbolic and spiritual way to save him or her from being chased by Divine Kala. This shadow puppet performance is called a 'sapuleger'; a performance aimed to mentally and spiritually cleanse. More mature people can also hold a 'Sapuleger': for example, after he or she recovers from a serious illness, or to be protected from a series of misfortunes. Many people, including those who were not born on 'wayang pawukon', also hold a 'sapuleger' for the same reasons or to ensure a safe and better future life.
The cost per performance can vary between Rp. 1,5 million to Rp. 2 million including the cost of the offerings. A 'sapuleger' is normally performed at night. In order to save time and money, the family arrives at the puppeteer's house with the complete required offerings, to ask for holy water for the ritual. In this case, the performance is only held symbolically.

‘Wayang’ - Shadow Puppetry : WAYANG PAWUKON

There is a myth in Balinese tradition in which those who were born during 'wayang', a seven day cycle, and 'pawukon' of a 210 day cycle, from the Balinese calendar (the next cycle falls on Saturday 28 January), must hold a shadow puppet performance at least once to avoid misfortune during their life. The myth goes that the God 'Siwa' had a son who was born on a Saturday under 'wayang pawukon'. The son, named Divine Kala asked his father what he could eat. The God Siwa replied that he could eat those who were born on the same 'pawukon' day as him. In the heavens, no one was born on the same day as Divine Kala, until eventually his brother Rare Kumara was born on 'pawukon', the same day as him. When Divine Kala wanted to eat Rare Kumara, the God Siwa prevented him from doing so by pointing out that Rare Kumara was still just a babe. Divine Kala decided to wait but the God Siwa cursed Rare Kumara to remain a child, thus being freed from the threat of being eaten by his brother. Understanding the unfairness and not wanting to wait any longer, Divine Kala hunted his younger brother, who in turn made his escape by coming down to earth.
Whilst on the run, he arrived in a place where shadow puppets were being performed. He hid himself under a bamboo hole used by the gamelan orchestra, so Divine Kala could not get to him. Following behind him, and by now very hungry, Divine Kala ate all the offerings from the shadow puppet show. The puppeteer in turn got incredibly angry with him and asked him to return all the offerings. A compromise was reached; the puppeteer would forgive Divine Kala if in return he would stop chasing his younger brother and whoever was to be born on the same day of 'wayang pawukon'. This was agreed.
Recent developments show that shadow puppetry on Bali now falls into three different categories. The first is shadow puppetry that maintains the sacred nature of the performance without losing its entertaining elements. Since it first appeared, shadow puppetry has been performed to represent many sacred events by ritualistic means; those of Bali's ancestors, her holy men, those of human beings, and of destructive powers. During these performances, a puppeteer not only performs accordingly but also produces the holy water required for the ritual.

‘Wayang’ - Shadow Puppetry : VOICES AND GAMELAN

A gamelan orchestra accompanies the shadow puppets' performance. The orchestra might be small, played by 4 people, or larger, being played by 15 to 20 musicians. The puppeteer plays alone and should be talented enough to change voices according to the characters of the dozens of puppets, voices of men or women, kings or clowns, Gods or demons, as well as the sounds of fire or wind. The talent of a puppeteer lies not only in his ability to present the structure of the story well, with all its necessary complex philosophical values, but also, and perhaps most importantly, in making different character voices in both serious and funny conversations.

‘Wayang’ - Shadow Puppetry : BLENCONG

Shadow puppets can be performed during the day and at night. The daytime play usually accompanies a ritual in a direct way, while the nighttime show is performed as part of a ritual as well as public entertainment. A puppet master or puppeteer plays shadow puppets from behind a screen. A 'blencong', or light of a flame ignited from coconut oil, is used to cast the shadow of the puppets. The quivering flame makes the shadow of the puppet jump alive. In Java, the coconut oil light has now sadly been replaced by electric lamps, a phenomenon that is now also occurring on Bali. During the show, two assistants aid the puppeteer by providing him (as the puppeteer is rarely a 'her') with his required puppets. Fragments of the Indian epics 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata' are popularly played out as themes for the shadow puppets.

‘Wayang’ - Shadow Puppetry ( 1 )

Most Balinese performing arts are considered sacred although there is a wonderful balance of entertainment involved. Shadow puppets are a good example. This is one of the most sacred of the performing arts as most shows are performed ritualistically, although their quality and popularity are not only dependent on how good the puppet master presents the story and moral values, but also as to how entertaining their presentation is.