Holiday Ayo - Generally, we can enjoy a variety of arts and dances of the archipelago at any time. However, Central Java Province has one dance that should not be performed at any time. During the implementation, the dancers, to the audience who watch, must follow the rules that have been set. Curious about this dance?

Bedhaya Ketawang Dance is one of the dances from Central Java Province which is thick with magical and mythical elements.

Both from history to implementation. This dance comes from the words Bedhaya (female dancer in the palace) and Ketawang (sky) which also means something high, noble, and sublime. The Bedhaya Ketawang dance is only performed at the coronation of the Sultan of Surakarta and the commemoration of the ascension to the throne of Sunan Surakarta.

There are two versions of the origin of this dance. The first version tells about Sultan Agung Hanyakrakusuma (leader of the Sultanate of Mataram in 1613-1645) who heard humming from the sky while doing penance or meditation. Feeling amazed, the sultan summoned his four bodyguards, namely Panembahan Purbaya, Kyai Panjang Mas, Prince Karang Gayem II, and Tumenggung Alap-Alap to tell their experiences. The Sultan also designed his own dance which was later called Bedhaya Ketawang.

The second version tells about Panembahan Senopati (founder of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom) who is in meditation and meets Ratu Kencanasari or Nyi Roro Kidul. It is said that the Queen of the South Coast tried to seduce the sultan, but his efforts were unsuccessful. This version is the most popular version.

Although it is a legacy of the Mataram Sultanate, the Bedhaya Ketawang Dance is only performed at the Surakarta Sunanate. It was part of the Giyanti treaty (1755). At that time, the Mataram Kingdom was divided into two, namely the Surakarta Sunanate and the Yogyakarta Sultanate. This division of territory and power is also accompanied by the division of arts and culture, one of which is the Bedhaya Ketawang Dance.

This dance is performed by nine dancers. However, in the performance, it is said that Nyi Roro Kidul will join the dance and fulfill the number of dancers to ten people. Sometimes, the Queen of the South Coast also accompanies the dancers who are practicing and correcting wrong movements.

Therefore, when going to dance, the dancers must be in a state of purity, not menstruating. If there is a dancer who is experiencing a monthly cycle, then he must ask permission from Nyi Roro Kidul by performing caos dhahar or giving offerings at the Sunggabuwana Stage in the Surakarta Palace.

In addition to being holy, the Bedhaya Ketawang dancers must also be virgins, have proportional body postures, have endurance (because they have to dance for 1.5 hours), and do mutih fasting (do not eat other than white food) for several days.

Bedhaya Ketawang dancers use dodot ageng or wet costumes combined with purple flower cinchhe fabric. The hair of the dancers is decorated with a curly ponytail. To complete the performance, the dancers also wore various accessories such as centhung, garudha mungkur, saajar rafting comb, cundhuk mentul, and Tiba dhadha.

As an accompaniment, some musicians will play traditional musical instruments, such as kethuk, kenong, drums, gongs, keanak, fiddle, gender, xylophone, and flute.

During the dance performance, the audience must also follow various rules such as not eating and smoking. The entire audience must also be silent, may not chat or talk. Regardless of whether you believe in the myths or not, this dance remains one of the wealth of the Indonesian people.