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Panji Topeng
Description Topeng is a word which means ‘wooden mask’ and is also used to refer to a form of masked dance theater which is transmitted in Java and Bali. ‘Panji Topeng’ is one of the most popular Topeng performances, based on the Panji chronicles, transmitted in Java. The tales of Panji, which exist in a range of variations, have been transmitted widely around the Southeast Asian region, and have inspired a wide range of traditional Indonesian dances, including Topeng performed in Cirebon, West Java and Malang, Java. Panji Topeng is characterized by the fluid and smooth movements of dancers wearing white masks. The silent and refined movements of dancers that almost appear to be gliding rather than walking, is the pinnacle of artistry in the Panji Topeng. After the diffusion of Hinduism, epics such as the Ramayana and Mahahbarata became the theme of Topeng dances. The dancers express fables, heroic sagas and legends about kings in dance, set to the music of gamelan. The oldest record of the Topeng dance can be found in the Nāgarakrĕtāgama epic about Hayam Wuruk (1334~1389), king of Majapahit, a Hindu kingdom in the 14th century. A handwritten copy of the Nāgarakrĕtāgama (1365), stored in the National Library of Indonesia, was included the Memory of the World Register in 2013. Characteristics: ∙Masked dance ∙“Nāgarakrĕtāgama” (1365), the oldest existing documentation of the Topeng dance was inscribed to the Memory of the World Register in 2013. Performed by Dadijono Darmawan Directed by Dadijono Darmawan Choreographed by Dadijono Darmawan
Photographer Asia Dance Culture Institute
Place Republic of Korea File Size 277KB
Definition 882 x 540 File Format PNG
Copyright Asia Dance Culture Institute Copyright

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