The art of wayang puppetry is an important
legacy for future generations and a recent gathering of young exponents
of the art showed that the tradition is being well preserved. Almost 190
children participated in the seventh edition of Temu Dalang Bocah
Nusantara (Gathering of the Archipelago’s Junior Wayang Puppet Masters)
at Taman Budaya Jawa Tengah in Surakarta, Central Java.
Among the
participants were three girls, Kanindayu Giwang Restuti, Aisyiah Asyfa
Ust Stani and Tiara Sotyaning Bathari, from the Baladewa wayang art
studio in Surabaya, East Java.
The puppet masters come from 28
cities including Blitar, Blora, Bojonegoro, Boyolali, Depok, Jakarta,
Karanganyar, Purwokerto, Sidoharjo, Surabaya, Surakarta, and Tangerang.
The
number of participants was the highest since the gathering debuted way
back in 2005, during which it featured only 29 young puppet masters.
Each
puppet master performed for between 20 and 40 minutes. They were
divided into three groups — kindergarten to second grader, third to
fifth grade and sixth to eighth grade.
There were no limitations on
what kind of stories or acts the puppet masters could put on. Each
puppet master had limitless possibilities to express and deliver their
craft during the gathering.
The chief organizer, Singgih Sri
Cundomanik, said that the event was important for the preservation of
wayang because it provided a platform for young puppet masters to hone
their craft and gain experience as performers.