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Dance Summary

The Kanoman court-bedaya different from the Surakarta and Yogyakarta bedaya. Dr, Buddingh says further that the bedaya in the palace of Kanoman was also called sinding, which comes from the word sinden, a Javanese word, meaning "to sing". Bedaya in the Kanoman palace in Cirebon was also called sinding because the bedaya dancers sang as they danced.

THE ANGKLUNG DANCE

This popular dance is also called reog or ogel. It is usually danced for payment at ceremonies such as circumcisions and weddings. The accompanying instruments are angk1ung, kendang and trumpet. Sometimes it is a simple dance-drama presenting the story of Damarwulan.

THE SEGENG DANCE

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This is a simple war-dance from Tasikmalaya. It is danced by ten or more men in pairs, dressed in short trousers with young cocunut leaves tied round their heads. Before dancing, they sing and the dance is not accompained by musical instruments but by singing.

BEKSAN

Beksan is a war-dance danced by four men with the kendangs (drums) as accompanying instruments. This dance is still performed often, especially in the village of Trusmi near the town of Cirebon.

RONGGENG

In West Java besides the female ronggeng there is also a male ronggeng. He is dressed like a woman and dances like the female ronggeng. This dances is performed in the streets, accompained by the kendang, rebab, ketuk. and gong, and the performers are paid.

LAIS OR SINTREN

The lais dance was formerly a religious dance, known as the "juggler dance". It is danced by a man dressed like a woman. Sometimes it is danced by a woman, and it is called sintren.

IBING PENCA

The Ibing Penca, which is a dance developing from the art of self defense, is one of the most popular dances among the Sundanese until the present moment. Ist dance -technique shows the love of movement, agility and quickness of the Sundanese.

SUNDANESE DANCING IN MODERN SOCIETY

Since independence (1945) -the development of dances in West Java has undergone a great change, affecting both the feudal court-dances and %, the dances of the common people. After independence choreographers began to cultivate and develop Sundanese dances, both those of the court and those of the common people. The dividing line.between the two has been eliminated, and both have
become Indonesian dances, Sunda style.

To distinguish the various dances which are now developing in West Java, based on the variety of movements and backgrounds of the stories presented, Sundanese dances can be divided into two groups, classical Sundanese dances and modern Sundanese dances.

At present West Javanese choreographers are more active in creating independent dances than dance-dramas. There are Sundanese dance-dramas, however. During the sixties a young choreographer from Bandung, Enoch Atmadibrata, produced dance-dramas, one of the most successful being Lutung Kasarung, a drama taken from the folklore of the Priangan region. The story of Arjunawiwaha has also been performed in West Java in the Sunda style. Maman Suriatmaja created a Sendratari Ramayana, Sunda style in 1970; and in 1971 some younger choreographers have succeeded to produce a Ramayana masked dance-drama, Sunda style. But in general, West Java produces more independent dances whereas Central Java produces more dance-dramas.

The classical Sundanese dances based on classical stories and movements from the feudal period, have also been modernized in