Topeng

Topeng (Indonesian for "mask") is a dramatic form of Indonesian dance in which one or more mask-wearing, ornately costumed performers interpret traditional narratives concerning fabled kings, heroes and myths, accompanied by gamelan music.

Indonesian masked dance predates Hindu-Buddhist influences. Native Indonesian tribes still perform traditional masked-dances to represent nature, as the Hudoq dance of the Dayak people of Kalimantan, or to represent ancestor spirits. With the arrival of Hinduism in the archipelago, the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics began to be performed in masked-dance. The most popular storyline of topeng dance however, derived from the locally developed Javanese Panji cycles, that based upon the tales and romance of Prince Panji and Princess Chandra Kirana, set in 12th-century Kadiri kingdom.

One of the earliest written record of topeng dance is found in 14th-century Nagarakretagama, which described King Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit — wearing a golden mask — as an accomplished topeng dancer. The current topeng dance form arose in the 15th century in Java and Bali where it remains prevalent, but it is also found in other Indonesian islands — such as Madura (near East Java). Various topeng dances and styles are developed in various places in Indonesian archipelago, the notable ones are those in Cirebon, Yogyakarta, Malang and Bali. The well-developed topeng technique is now studied in universities of Europe and America.

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Wikipedia