A Historic Visit from Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X of Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Art of the Ancestors wishes Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X great fortune and happiness during his stay in Connecticut!
Today, November 6th, marks the arrival of His Majesty Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and members of the royal family and retinue in Connecticut.
Throughout the week, there will be a series of illuminating public events presented by Wesleyan University, Yale University, Asia Society, and the American Cultural and Educational Foundation.
For your convenience, the full calendar is published below.
Yale University
Wayang Kulit Performance
“Arjuna Wiwaha”
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Yale Art Gallery
Join shadow puppeteer Ki Suharno Cermo Sugondo and gamelan musicians from the royal court of Yogyakarta (Indonesia) for a special wayang kulit performance of this canonical play drawn from the Javanese version of the Mahabharata and first inscribed in a poetic version titled Arjunawiwāha by the East Javanese court poet Mpu Kanwa around 1030 CE. This performance will feature shadow puppets from the Dr. Walter Angst and Sir Henry Angest Collection of Indonesian Puppets at Yale University Art Gallery, and instruments of the Yale Gamelan.
Symposium: Islam and the Arts of Java
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Linsly-Chittenden Hall | Room 102
Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Sultan of Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
Professor Matthew Cohen, Royal Holloway at the University of London; Visiting Fellow, Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University
Dr. Dewanto Sukistono, Faculty, Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta
Dr. Gabriel Roosmargo Lono Lastoro Simatupang, Department of Anthropology, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta
Professor Sumarsam, Department of Music, Wesleyan University
Organizers: J. Joseph Errington, Department of Anthropology, Yale University and Indriyo Sukmono, Council on Southeast Asia Studies
Wesleyan University
Javanese Dance Lecture Demonstration
Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 11:50am
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
In conjunction with a visit to Wesleyan of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X of the Kasultanan court of Yogyakarta, Dr. Suharti, Emeritus Professor of Dance of Indonesian Institute of the Arts and a former Wesleyan visiting artist in 1970–72, will give a lecture and demonstration on Javanese court dance, with the participation of the visiting court dancers.
Music and Dance of Yogyakarta
Friday, November 9, 2018 at 7:30pm
Crowell Concert Hall
In conjunction with a visit from Hamengkubuwono X, the Sultan of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, Wesleyan University hosts a performance by the court dancers and musicians of Yogyakarta, featuring the instruments of the Wesleyan gamelan, one of the finest sets of the instruments in the world—mostly gong and metallophone instruments made of bronze—usually housed on campus in World Music Hall.
Symposium: Enacting Ethnicity and Nationalism in Indonesian Performing Arts
Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 9:00am
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
There are hundreds of traditional performing arts in Indonesia, each is associated with a specific ethnic group/sub-group and the geographical region that is the ethnic group's homeland (e.g., the performing arts of Batak, Minangkabau, Aceh, Sunda, Central Java, East Java, Banyuwangi, etc.). The history of the Indonesia is one of myriad inter-cultural encounters between these groups, with Western cultures being a significant contributor. The processes of hybridization that have resulted have profoundly shaped Indonesian culture and national identity. The performing arts play a primary role in articulating these interacting cultural, social, and political forces. The symposium will address these issues, focusing on the dynamic interaction between the state and Javanese ethnic group.
Wayang Golek Puppet Play
Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 2:30pm
World Music Hall
Yogyakarta Court Puppeteer Ki Gondo Suharno and the Court of Yogyakarta gamelan group, in collaboration with the Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble, will perform Wayang Golek, featuring three-dimensional puppets made of wood and cloth reenacting stories based on the Islamic story of Amir Hamzah.
