Yogyakarta puts on exquisite ballet show

TALK about ballet and the first images that come to mind are girls dancing gracefully to classical music in tights, tutus and light flat-heeled round-toed shoes with their hair tied back in a bun.

Those who have seen the movie ‘Black Swan’ would picture lead actresses Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in feathered headpieces, performing for the camera in the new production of the popular classic — Swan Lake.

Taking a step back, the Ramayana Ballet Prambanan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, has ballet to its name, but it’s not the ballet everyone is used to seeing even though it does involve dancing.

The Ramayana Ballet is best described as a stage performance held indoors at the Trimurti Theatre from May to October every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 7.30pm to 9.30pm with an intermission at the halfway stage. It is the most famous performance in Yogayakarta, boasting a cast of 250 artistes and the Prambanan Temple as the backdrop.

The Ramayana Ballet tells a Prambanan love story in a time of demons, heroic animals and epic royal quests. It takes the audience back to a mythical world of music and dance, capped by an enchanting tale of romance.

The show is performed to soothing gamelan music (traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali, made up predominantly of percussive instruments), interspersed by a faster beat tempo, highlighting the ‘apprehensive moments’ of the performance.

It starts off with a narrated introduction of three main characters – Prince Rama, his wife Dewi Shinta and brother Laksmana.

A projector is mounted on both sides of the stage to amplify the images of the performers and the probes, and the commentary in both Bahasa Indonesia and English help the audience to follow the story as it progresses.

The main performers don exquisitely designed costumes while the singers and musicians put on traditional Javanese costumes. The royal Javanese costumes are the most captivating with filigree motifs, gold thread batik cloths and golden headgear. The animal costumes include feathers, furs, scales and woolen (fake) hair.

Dancers who play animal characters are on point with their representation of the animals – playful deer, monkey and a mythical phoenix with glorious wings and beak.

The seats for the show are divided into four categories – First Class, Second Class, Special and VIP. Ticket prices start from Rp125,000 (RM45) per person and are the same for adults and children. The audience can also opt for an Indonesian buffet dinner, starting from 6pm.

Kraton Yogyakarta

To soak up more of Indonesia’s history, cultures, and arts, another place to visit is the Yogyakarta Sultanate Palace or Kraton Yogyakarta which serves as a cultural centre for the Javanese and has a museum that displays artefacts of the sultanate.

The palace was built by Prince Mangkubumi in 1755-56 and the alun square has two huge weeping fig trees (waringan-beringin-banyan) on both sides of the driveway while the rest of the square is short grass tuff. The field area outside is used by locals for kite flying, pet bird flying and picnics.

The entrance to the palace is lined with vendor stalls, selling street foods such as bakso (Indonesian meat balls or paste made from beef), mie ayam (Indonesian noodles), cold drinks, souvenirs and touristy items such as hand-fans and hats.

One rule to observe while on the palace grounds is to be decently attired – no mini-skirts, no singlets and no hats!

The Sultan’s residence is also a living museum where cultural performances such as gamelan are staged on Mondays and Tuesdays, wooden puppet shows on Wednesdays, Kraton classical dance rehearsals on Thursdays and Sundays, Javanese poetry recitals on Fridays and leather shadow puppet shows (wayang kulit) on Saturdays.

The palace is beautifully maintained with its captivating colourful mosaic floors and awe-inspiring brightly painted door frames, gold gilded pillars, beams and ceilings, not to mention the dripping beads of crystal chandeliers reflecting iridescent rainbow colours on the floor.

There are several pavilions in the palace grounds — some for performances while some strictly for use by the Sultan’s family.

Visitors are shown around by tour guides who can even speak Japanese, not just English. The guides’ conversance with the history of the palace shows a high level of professionalism on their part. They want visitors to bring the ‘fantastic stories’ of their palace tour home to their families and friends.

Among the interesting displays at the palace museum are the handmade and handwritten family trees of the previous sultans.

Admission is Rp12,000 plus a camera fee of Rp1,000. The guided tour is by donation. The opening hours are from 8.30am to 2pm (Saturdays to Thursdays) and 8.30am to 1pm on Fridays.

Water Castle

Not far from the palace is the Water Castle (Taman Sari) just a five- to 10-minute walk away. Although called a castle, it’s actually the royal garden with a swimming pool that is no longer in use.

The grounds are well kept with the shrubs and topiary neatly trimmed and the pools are in pristine condition. Visitors can climb the stairs leading to the upper level of the entrance to enjoy the view around the Water Castle. As the royalty of yesteryear were petite and small in stature, tall visitors have to bend their heads to pass under the low beams.

Tempting as it is, visitors are not allowed to swim in the pool to retain its pristine condition, notably the fountains that shoot water streams into the air.

At the exit of the Water Castle, visitors can sit down for a drink of fresh coconut water or enjoy a bowl cendol.

Admission is Rp12,000 plus a camera fee of Rp2,000. Guided tours can be arranged. The opening hours are from 8.30am to 2pm (Saturdays to Thursdays) and 8.30am to 1pm on Fridays.