Perginya Si Dalang Visioner, Slamet Gundono

Senin, 6 Januari 2014 18:13

Alm. Slamet Gundono Si Dalang Visioner.(www. thejakartapost.com)

AyoGitaBisa.com - Duka menyelimuti panggung seni pertunjukan Tanah Air. Salah satu sosok seniman yang dikenal dengan kreativitas, inovasi, dan berani bermain di luar pakem, Slamet Gundono, 47, tutup usia di RSIS Yarsis, Kartasura, Sukoharjo, Minggu (5/1/2014), pukul 08.30 WIB.

Dalang wayang suket ini meninggal dunia setelah enam hari bergelut dengan penyakit komplikasi yang menyerangnya.

Pelataran RSIS Yarsis, Minggu siang, tampak riuh rendah. Puluhan seniman dan budayawan Tanah Air berduka bersama untuk mengantarkan kepergian salah satu sosok seniman muda berbakat Negeri ini.

Ketika pihak keluarga menanti proses penyucian jenazah di rumah sakit setempat, pelayat terus berdatangan untuk memberikan dukungan moral, di antaranya Sardono. W. Kusumo, Butet Kartaredjasa, Djaduk Ferianto, Suprapto Suryodarmo, Ki Manteb Soedharsono, Eko Supriyanto, Endah Laras, Mugiyono Kasido, Dedek Wahyudi, Danis Sugiyarto, Joko Bibit Santoso, Hanindawan, dll.

Kerabat Slamet Gundono, Sri Waluyo, mengutarakan pamannya setahun belakangan menderita penyakit hepatitis. Kondisi kesehatannya sempat menurun pada Selasa (31/12/2014) dan membuat dalang asal Tegal ini dilarikan ke rumah sakit.

Sejak dinyatakan masuk fase kritis Jumat lalu kondisinya terus menurun. Penyakit hepatitisnya mulai menjalar ke hati, ginjal, paru-paru, hingga jantung. Sampai akhirnya Minggu pagi ini Om Gundono meninggal dunia, terangnya saat ditemui di RSI Yarsis, Minggu siang seperti ditulis Solopos.com.

Waluyo mengungkapkan di mata keluarga, Gundono bukanlah sosok yang hobi mengeluh. Tak heran, jika kabar sakit dan kepergiannya ini sempat mengejutkan banyak pihak.

Om itu kalau sakit enggak mau ngomong. Dia enggan berobat. Makanya banyak yang kaget, ungkapnya.

Visioner

Ditemui saat melayat ke RSI Yarsis, koreografer Eko Supriyanto, mengenang Slamet Gundono sebagai sosok seniman serba-bisa yang pantas dikenang seniman muda.

Beliau bisa apapun, mulai tari, musik, wayang. Menariknya dia tidak pernah membedakan genre dalam seni. Kepiawaiannya berbaur itu yang membuat kami kehilangan, kata lelaki yang akrab disapa Eko Pece ini.

Selain dikenal lantaran kemampuannya berkesenian, lanjut Eko Pece, Slamet Gundono juga dikenal sebagai sosok visioner di kalangan seniman muda.

Karya beliau sangat fenomenal dan dekat di hati, baik seniman dan rakyat. Idenya selalu segar dan di luar kewajaran, tapi substansinya masuk ke realitas yang sebenarnya. Bisa dibilang konsepnya lebih maju dibanding seniman lainnya, kesannya.

Sementara itu, seniman sekaligus budayawan, Suprapto Suryodarmo, menilai Slamet Gundono merupakan salah satu aset Indonesia. Keberaniannya menggarap isu sosial berbasis kemanusiaan menjadi salah satu warisan yang bisa dikenang para penikmat karyanya.

Gundono itu sangat kritis dan berani menggarap isu sosial, bahkan saat Orde Baru. Keberaniannya berdasarkan semangat kemanusiaan bukan fanatisme. Itu yang membuatnya dihargai di berbagai ponpes di Indonesia. Di samping itu karyanya juga beragam. Dia sangat disayangi rekan seniman karena kepedululiannya pada nasib sesama rekan seniman, pungkasnya.

[asa]

Sapto Sopawiro: The lone ‘dalang’ in Suriname | The Jakarta Post

Bambang Muryanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | People | Mon, June 24 2013, 12:30 PM

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Paper Edition | Page: 28

Bambang Muryanto

Sapto Sopawiro, 73, is a Javanese living in the Republic of Suriname who continues to preserve Javanese culture amid the prevalence of pop art. The former miner is a Javanese community elder and the lone dalang wayang kulit (leather puppet player) in Suriname, the only country in the Caribbean with a large Javanese population.

He visited Indonesia at his own expense in an effort to solve the regeneration problem of wayang kulit players in Suriname. During his 28-day stay in Yogyakarta, Sapto met with Javanese cultural figures to obtain firsthand knowledge on how a younger generation of puppeteers is born there. 

Bambang Muryanto “Thus far, it has been difficult to find young people ready who are ready to become puppet players,” said Sapto, who was speaking Javanese and dressed in batik with a blangkon [headgear], which is common wear in Yogyakarta.

Sapto’s life is part of the history of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia and Suriname. In 1930, his father, Ponco Sadidjo, was among the thousands of contract workers sent by the Dutch colonial government to plantations in Suriname, where they later settled and started families.

Sapto was born in Jumal village, Saramacca district, on July 15, 1940. He is one of Suriname’s approximately 84,000 ethnic Javanese descendants. Today, Suriname’s population of 560,000 comprises Hindustanis, Creoles (of African and Dutch descent), Maroons (of African origin), Amerindians, Chinese and Caucasians, besides Javanese.

In his first visit to Indonesia, he reunited with his relatives in Yogyakarta and watched various Javanese art performances such as Ramayana dance drama and ketoprak tobong (history-based Javanese theater) presented by Kelana Bhakti Budaya group in Prambanan. Sitting in the front row, Sapto was accompanied by his nephew, Agus Susilo.

“It’s a very good show. In Suriname, ketoprak tobong can no longer be found,” said the father of three. He said that he hoped wayang kulit would not share the same fate as ketoprak, which is now nowhere to be seen in Suriname.

“Some people are interested in learning puppetry, but then they grow bored after two or three months. I want to find the remedy for such boredom but there haven’t been any ideas yet,” he pointed out.

Charles Chang, a freelance journalist from Suriname who joined Sapto on his trip, shared his sentiment. Chang said he was concerned about the fact that Sapto was the only the puppet master left in Suriname. “It’s very difficult to find new dalang. My government does nothing,” noted Chang.

Chang was covering Sapto’s activities and Javanese culture in Yogyakarta for Suriname media. He hoped that Sapto’s Yogyakarta cultural tour would prompt the government of Suriname to pay more attention to Javanese culture.

“The youth of Suriname prefer rock and reggae music or learn dances that are Brazilian in origin,” Sapto indicated. But, in fact, many Javanese, Creole and Hindustani people like wayang kulit. The Javanese in Suriname’s villages also observe Thanksgiving traditions with wayang shows.

“In September, I’m fully booked for Thanksgiving rituals in villages,” said Sapto, who has a different way of presenting his scenes in comparison to his counterparts in Java due to his heterogeneous audience. His suluk (sung recitations), for instance, contain old western songs like Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” or Nat King Cole’s “I Love You for
Sentimental Reasons”, rather than Javanese poetry.

“Spectators burst out laughing when I was asked to join in as a dalang in a celebration in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta,” revealed the man living in Boxel Paraweg 15, Wanica district, Suriname.

In his perspective, wayang kulit, which has already been declared a world cultural heritage by UNESCO, has an important function. With its stories derived from Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, this art imparts moral teachings as a guide to good conduct in life.

Sadly, when only five puppeteers were left in Suriname, one by one died of old age. The situation pushed the grandfather of one to play wayang kulit. Sapto honed his skills under the instruction of Parjoyo, a Javanese art teacher from Yogyakarta, who went to Suriname in 2000 and 2005. He also flew to Holland to delve into Javanese culture at the Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies in Amsterdam.

Sapto is indeed a very good Javanese speaker with broad knowledge of Javanese culture. While in Yogyakarta, he was frequently annoyed by Javanese youth who were unable to grasp the meaning of the Javanese words he used.

In his country, Sapto teaches Javanese culture at Anton de Kom University of Suriname in Paramaribo. He also hosts a program called Gumelaring Jagad (The World Miscellany) on Mustika TV, a local station. “A lot of non-Javanese are fond of Javanese culture. A Creole couple once asked for kembar mayang [Javanese decorations] for their wedding,” said Sapto.

In Suriname, Sapto is also a member of Carita Wujud Ngesti Tunggal, an organization of Javanese Kejawen or mysticism, which is considered a religion. “My religion is kejawen and the state has recognized it,” he assured, perhaps alluding to Indonesia, whose Javanese majority is denied this form of belief as a religion. “But the people in Suriname are always peaceful,” he added.

While in Indonesia, Sapto also spoke on pluralism. He reminded the public and the state of the need to appreciate each other’s faiths and accept differences without resorting to violence, which has been a serious issue in Indonesia as of late.

Jlitheng Suparman: Wayang for the people Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | People | Fri, October 12 2012, 8:06 AM )

Jlitheng Suparman

To watch an entire performance of a Javanese wayang leather puppet show, which can last for up to eight hours, one must prepare one’s stamina and have the mind-set to follow the stories.

However, preparing the same amount of stamina just to watch a puppet show could be considered by some to be huge waste of energy, since people must reserve their energy to go to work the next day. Or if the show is performed during the weekend, then hanging out with family members must become the first priority.

The feeling that wayang might fail to find a place in our current lifestyles that adore speed and efficiency was what bothered Jliteng Suparman, a traditional Javanese puppeteer, or dalang, back in 2010.

At that time, Suparman thought that if no significant improvements were made, then wayang would slowly lose its charm and audience — and that would be culturally catastrophic.

“I then created a wayang climen leather puppet show, derived from the word climen, which means simplified,” he said in a recent interview. The wayang climen concept allows a puppeteer to excise all the unnecessary gestures, songs and fragments during the show and just present the important parts to save time, manpower and, of course, money. Unlike the traditional wayang puppet shows that adapt the two great Hindu tales, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, wayang climen is allowed to adopt any stories from other cultures or even mix them with existing wayang stories.

Suparman acknowledges that he often mixes some foreign stories with traditional wayang to present today’s complexities. From a budget perspective, an eight-hour wayang leather puppet show will cost Rp 15 million (US$1,565) while Suparman’s wayang climen show will cost less than Rp 5 million. Furthermore, Suparman says the price is still negotiable. In fact, he will do a show for free if he sees that the circumstances won’t allow him to charge. However, Suparman says that he won’t sacrifice the quality of the show. Therefore, even though there have been major cuts here and there, both the plot and the dramaturgy are kept as clear and concise as possible so they won’t create any confusion for audiences.

Suparman has also avoided the usage of high Javanese, known as krama inggil, simply because most people, even most Javanese, won’t understand.

“Krama inggil is highly aesthetic yet charming and is usually used by the royal families. However, using that language right now would only create a distance and confusion between the audience and what the puppeteer is trying to say,” he explains.

He uses a mix of languages instead, combining common Javanese with a Jakarta dialect or Sundanese or even a bit of English during the show, depending on the environment. As for the music, it is all the same. Suparman has also opted to bring all kinds of music to the stage instead of only playing Javanese traditional music during the show.

Playing modern music, he says, can bring the audience even closer to the performance, because most of them are already familiar with the music. Another of Suparman’s special “tricks” is that he allows the audience to interrupt him during the show, something considered taboo by most puppeteers.

“I just want to show that everybody will be treated equally during my show. This can tighten the relationship between us the performers and the audiences,” he recalls.

Some young puppeteers have expressed their interest and asked for his “endorsement” to stage their own wayang climen. Suparman has always said to his juniors that they could perform the wayang climen anytime they want without the need to pay attention to copyrights. To him, wayang climen has been dedicated to the public and he won’t take any benefit from it.

Toward his effort in raising awareness of wayang climen, Suparman said that he has gained the support of many senior puppeteers, which could be important in gaining more support ahead. Graduating from the Surakarta-based 11 March University with major in Javanese literature, Suparman acknowledges that he has mostly taught himself how to become a dalang. He admitted to have inherited the talent from his grandfather, a dalang in Wonogiri, Central Java, and to have learned from one of his uncles, also a puppeteer.

The hardest time during his study to become a puppeteer, he recalled, was when he was challenged to breathe “soul” into his wayang puppets so people wouldn’t laugh at him when he performed during the show.

“It was from Ki Manteb Sudarsono that I learned how to use my puppets smoothly so that people would think that my puppets are alive,” he recalls.

Ki Manteb Sudarsono is famous for his skill. Manteb, who now resides in Jakarta, is widely known as the “devilish puppeteer” referring to his moves that are fiendishly difficult — if not impossible — to copy.

Besides learning from Manteb, Suparman recalled that he learned another skill no less important, chanting in Javanese, from another famous puppeteer, Ki Narto Sabdo.

The late Narto Sabdo was famous for his firm voice when chanting in Javanese during his sessions. A good voice is needed to narrate wayang puppet stories. In fact, some people might categorize a good and firm voice as the main quality that a puppeteer should have.

The last but not least, Suparman has also learned Javanese spirituality (kejawen) like fasting and doing other deeds to add to his charisma when performing with his puppets.

“I’m doing kejawen as part of my effort to present my best in performing with my puppets.”

Terjemahan bebas:

Jlitheng Suparman: Wayang Bagi Masyarakat
Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Orang | Fri, 12 Oktober 2012, 08:06

Untuk menonton kinerja seluruh pertunjukan wayang kulit wayang Jawa, yang dapat berlangsung selama delapan jam, seseorang harus mempersiapkan stamina dan memiliki seting pikiran untuk mengikuti cerita. Namun, mempersiapkan stamina untuk menonton pertunjukan wayang bisa dianggap menjadi pemborosan energi, karena orang harus menyiapkan energi mereka pergi bekerja keesokan harinya. Atau jika acara ini dilakukan selama akhir pekan, kemudian bergaul dengan anggota keluarga harus menjadi prioritas pertama.
Perasaan bahwa wayang mungkin gagal untuk menemukan tempat dalam gaya hidup kita saat ini yang memuja kecepatan dan efisiensi adalah apa yang sudah mengganggu Jliteng Suparman, seorang dalang Jawa tradisional yang berkiprah di dunia pedalangan awal atau tahun 2010.

Pada waktu itu, Jliteng Suparman berpikir bahwa jika tidak ada perbaikan pembaharuan yang signifikan, maka wayang perlahan akan kehilangan pesona dari penonton, dan itu akan menjadi musibah dan bencana besar. "Saya kemudian membuat sebuah wayang kulit climen wayang golek, berasal dari climen kata, yang berarti disederhanakan," katanya dalam sebuah wawancara baru-baru ini. Konsep climen wayang memungkinkan seorang dalang menyajikan bagian penting untuk menghemat waktu, tenaga, dan, tentu saja, uang.

Berbeda dengan pertunjukan wayang tradisional yang mengadaptasi kisah Mahabharata dan Ramayana, wayang climen diperbolehkan untuk mengadopsi cerita dari budaya lain atau bahkan campuran mereka dengan cerita wayang yang ada. Jliteng Suparman mengakui bahwa ia sering mencampur beberapa cerita asing dengan wayang tradisional untuk menyajikan kompleksitas lakon wayang.

Dari perspektif anggaran, delapan jam wayang kulit wayang akan menelan biaya Rp 15 juta (US $ 1.565), sementara wayang Suparman menunjukkan climen biaya kurang dari Rp 5 juta. Selain itu, Suparman mengatakan harga masih bisa ditawar. Bahkan, ia akan melakukan pertunjukan secara gratis jika ia melihat bahwa keadaan tidak akan memungkinkan dia untuk mengisi. Namun, Suparman mengatakan bahwa ia tidak akan mengorbankan kualitas pertunjukan. Oleh karena itu, meskipun telah ada pemotongan besar di sana-sini, baik plot dan dramaturgi disimpan sebagai penjelasan dan ringkasan sehingga mereka tidak akan menimbulkan kebingungan bagi penonton. Suparman juga menghindari penggunaan bahasa tinggi Jawa, “krama inggil” karena kebanyakan orang Jawa pun masih banyak yang belum mengerti dengan bahasa tersebut.
bahasa Krama inggil ini mengandung estetika tinggi yang biasanya digunakan oleh keluarga kerajaan.
Da setiap pertunjukannya Suparman banyak menggunakan campuran bahasa, menggabungkan Jawa umum dengan dialek Jakarta atau Sunda atau bahkan sedikit bahasa Inggris. Adapun musik yang digunakan itu semua sama. Suparman juga telah memilih dan membawakan semua jenis musik baik musik tradisional maupun musik modern karena dengan begitu, Ia dapat membawa penonton ke dalam suasana yang lebih akrab. "Saya hanya ingin menunjukkan, bahwa semua orang akan diperlakukan sama selama pertunjukan saya. Hal ini dapat mempererat tali silaturahmi antara kami para pemain dan penonton," kenangnya.

Beberapa dalang muda telah menyatakan minat mereka dan meminta "dukungan" untuk menggelar climen wayang mereka sendiri. Suparman selalu berkata kepada juniornya bahwa mereka bisa melakukan climen wayang kapan saja mereka inginkan tanpa perlu memperhatikan hak cipta. Baginya, wayang climen telah didedikasikan untuk publik, dan ia tidak akan mengambil keuntungan dari itu. Menuju usahanya dalam meningkatkan kesadaran wayang climen, Suparman mengatakan bahwa ia telah mendapat dukungan dari dalang senior yang banyak, yang mungkin penting dalam memperoleh dukungan lebih ke depan.

Suparman lulusan Universitas Sebelas Maret jurusan sastra Jawa, Surakarta. Suparman mengakui bahwa sebagian besar ia telah  belajar sendiri bagaimana menjadi seorang dalang. Dia mengaku telah mewarisi bakat dari kakeknya, seorang dalang di Wonogiri, Jawa Tengah. Ia masih ingat saat yang paling sulit selama studi seni pedalangan, yaitu ketika ia ditantang untuk bernapas "jiwa" menjadi boneka wayang nya sehingga orang tidak akan menertawakan dia ketika tampil selama  pertunjukan wayang berlangsung. "Itu dari Ki Manteb Sudarsono bahwa saya belajar bagaimana menggunakan boneka wayang dengan sebaik-baiknya agar wayang akan Nampak seperti hidup,” kenangnya.

                        
Ki Manteb Sudarsono terkenal dengan keahliannya. Manteb, yang sekarang tinggal di Jakarta, secara luas dikenal sebagai "dalang setan" mengacu pada gerakannya yang fiendishly sulit - jika tidak mustahil - untuk menyalin. Selain belajar dari Manteb, Suparman ingat bahwa dia belajar keterampilan lain yang tidak kalah penting yaitu tentang tembang atau nyanyian dalam bahasa Jawa. Selain dengan  dalang Ki Mantep Sudarsono, ia juga belajar dengan dalang terkenal lainnya, Ki Narto Sabdo.

Ki Narto Sabdo terkenal karena suara tegas ketika menyanyikan tembang dalam bahasa Jawa selama dalam sesi pertunjukannya. Memang, suara yang baik dan bagus sangat diperlukan untuk menceritakan lakon wayang. Bahkan, beberapa orang mungkin mengkategorikan suara yang bagus merupakan prioritas utama yang harus dimiliki dalang. Suparman juga belajar spiritualitas Jawa (kejawen). Banyak melakukan puasa dan melakukan perbuatan lain untuk menambah karisma ketika tampil dengan boneka-boneka waayangnya.

"Aku melakukan kejawen sebagai bagian dari upaya untuk menyajikan yang terbaik dalam setiap pertunjukan."