[Unpad.ac.id, 12/07/2013] To preserve traditional culture is not only to become an artist. As an academician, there are many things that can be done to help preserve our national tradition, as what currently is being organized by Lingkung Seni Sunda (Lises), which is to set off on a research expedition entitled “West Java Mask Expedition” on July 15 until 28, 2013.
As a student organization engaged in preserving Sundanese culture, Lises has been devoting considerable efforts to foster the culture and tradition of one of the largest ethnic in Indonesia. In addition to routinely learning and practicing Sundanese traditional dances and musical instruments (gamelan), Lises also conducts research and development of various cultural traditions in West java, such as what is currently being organized.
This time, Lises is aiming to make a cultural documentation of tari topeng or mask dance from three regions in West Java, namely Cirebon, Sumedang, dan Bekasi. Mask dance is one of Indonesian traditional dances with a variety of characters and stories. It was selected for the research because it portrays the sublime culture and philosophy of life illustrating the other side of human being.
Tari topeng also illustrates human metamorphosis from time to time in a journey of self discovery. Not only offering entertainment, tari topeng is also full symbolism signifying various aspects of life such as the value of leadership, wisdom, love, and even insolence. It also illustrates the journey of human life from birth to adulthood. The traditional dance can certainly be used as a positive medium of communication.
Among the three regions, Cirebon mask dance is the most famous and has become one of the characteristics of West Java culture. While Sumedang mask dance, also known as Priangan mask dance, unlike the other two, typically displays three mask characters in its performance. Bekasi mask dance, however, has not gained widespread popularity in West Java as its counterparts.
In this expedition, Unpad Lises will excavate deeper into the philosophy of dance mask of all three regions. They will try to conduct an in-depth research and carry out extensive interviews with the actors in the studio of each region. By documenting traditional cultural properties through this research expedition, they hope to contribute to our visual culture and landscape and to enrich their own knowledge and understanding on the subject.
In the release it is stated that the results of this expedition will be presented at a seminar open to the public in November. This seminar is part of series of events of Rumpaka Lises. In the seminar, Lises Unpad will try to bring the actors from their native regions to perform the traditional dance themselves. In addition, the result of the training Lises members have undergone during the expedition will also be displayed in another part of the series of events *
