Making Their Moves
Mitra Tari Hadiprana is seeking to preserve traditional Javanese dance, one move at a time. Anastasia Wibowo writes
Mitra Tari Hadiprana’s members enjoy the benefits of preserving Javanese traditions
Most people would be relaxing on Sundays, but that’s not simply the case with the members of Mitra Tari Hadiprana, who had just finished their weekly class at Mitra Hadiprana in Kemang, which started at 9am sharp, when Indonesia Tatler met with them. These dedicated ladies, most of them over 30 years of age, take very seriously this form of a traditional workout, and they look all beautiful in their colourful kebayas.
After wrapping up their practice session, we sat with the members of the group, which consists of Puri Hadiprana, Shinta Kamdani, Melicia Zaini, Ria Glenn, Gati Dwi Gantini, Renny Kusumowardhani, and Yusri Wahyuni, along with their pemulang beksan, or dance instructor, Putut Budi Santosa.
“Aside from preserving Indonesian culture, traditional Javanese dance is a holistic form of workout, almost like yoga, in which it trains all your mind, body and soul,” Puri told us. “It’s also a low-impact workout, which is suitable for someone like me who has a history of scoliosis.”
Last November, Indonesia Tatler hosted the annual Indonesia Tatler Ball 2018 with the theme of “Indonesia Tanah Airku”, and Mitra Tari Hadiprana had the honour of performing at the gala dinner. Although the group originally formed in 2015, the preparation for the said performance only took about two months.
“Preparing for the performance was as much fun as the event itself,” Shinta added. “We only had about two months to practice the routine—which means I only did five sessions times of practice. With many daily activities each of us has, it was quite challenging to find the time, but, in the end, we managed to do it because of the same passion we have in dancing.”
It is also interesting to note that some of the members are no strangers to dancing itself, and dancing has been a long-time passion for many of them. Since the age of 9, Shinta learned a few traditional dances such as Javanese and Balinese, ballet, and modern dance. Puri meanwhile, used to learn traditional dance, Ria was a former ballet dancer, and Renny, who learned Javanese dance since childhood.
“There are many benefits to Javanese dance,” Ria explains. “Aside from meeting new friends, it is also very calming, meditative, and effective for stress relief, fixing our posture, balancing left and right brains, as well as improving our patience.”
One of the members, Yusri, admitted that Javanese dance helps her spinal recovery. Due to a motorbike accident in her highschool days, she initially could not move her body and was diagnosed with lumbar segmental joint dysfunction syndrome. She was reluctant to resort to surgery, but physiotherapy did not help much, either. “A neurologist advised me to try Javanese dance, so I joined this group,” she said. “In the beginning, it was painful to move, but fortunately over time my spine is getting better and now it functions normally.”
Every year, the group regularly pays a visit to Keraton Yogyakarta to join gladi beksa— a masterclass in classical dance called Joged Mataram, where they directly learn from the maestros. One of the basic dance routines for females that must be mastered is Beksan Sari Tunggal. “I am currently interested in
learning a repertoire called Srimpi Pandelori, a fight against yourself—how to achieve self-balance and how to remain in a state of peace, harmoniously centered, even though we are pulled by four directions,” Ria said.
When asked about the most difficult move, the group answered in unison: “Jengkeng!” This particular move requires the dancer to sit on their feet and balance their body weight—a very slow move, but equally painful. Nevertheless, this did not stop them from posing beautifully for Indonesia Tatler. “We are glad that we can preserve this beautiful culture, and we encourage everyone who is interested to join this class every Sunday,” Puri closed.