Asian Transformations in Action - Api-fellowships.org

INTERMINGLING OF CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITY75are about four or five schools (i.e., groups, stables,dynasties) distinguished from one another not only interms of style (e.g., variational techniques), repertoireand aesthetics, among others, but also by ideologicaldifferences. Such differences are fueled by a strong senseof competition and the pursuit of social, if not artistic,prominence, and are closely identified with legendarymasters and founding patriarchs. 25 The phenomenonof the pedagogic dynasty could also be extended to theinstitutional dynasty in Indonesia, where the two oldestarts institutions, ISI Solo and ISI Yogyakarta havespawned most of the teaching forces in the traditionalperforming arts in the entire nation, whether in artshigh schools (sekolah menangga) or in arts colleges,institutes, and universities.Empowerment of traditional resources through awards andcompetitionsThe system of rewards, ranging from the national artistaward 26 to special awards and citations from the RoyalFamily are sources of prestige as well as social andartistic capital, including employment in institutionsof higher learning and the procurement of disciples.Competitions as validating strategies in the communitylikewise serve various purposes: as a rite of passagethat can transform winning participants from beingordinary musicians to bearers of cultural emblems, oras a short-cut to earning prestige certificates withouthaving to go through a formal educational curriculum.In competitions, participants are usually identified withthe masters who groomed and trained them or to theschool in which the students are enrolled. 27Institutional mechanismsNational governments have established cultural centersto house cultural agencies and promote culturalactivities. The Taman Budaya in Solo, 28 a sprawlinglandscape of finely and artistically built structures,houses several offices, including an audio-visual library.It has all possible venues—pendopos (performancepavilions), arena-like open theaters, an indoor theater,an art gallery, rehearsal halls equipped with gamelan,and other musical and extra-musical facilities. Variousinterest groups, especially those conducting workshopsfor children, use these facilities for free. Anotherinstitutional mechanism is the presence of foreignfunding agencies such as the Asia Society in Bangkokand the Ford Foundation in Indonesia, and theprograms and projects that they fund in cooperationwith local individuals or institutions. The latter hasgiven substantial assistance to educational projectsincluding the LPSN of Endo Suanda, UPI research, theproduction of teaching materials and the RevitalizationProgram of Universitas Sumatera Utara, headed byRhitaony Hutajulu (Hutajulu 2006).The seasonal cycleThe continuing power of the seasonal cycle of livingwhere both religion and nature dictate the boundariesof human existence and societal participation provideanother factor in the perpetuation of traditional musicalpractices. The major religions of Buddhism, Islam andHinduism are permanent sources of commemorativeactivities such as the Mawlid and the Buddhist Lent,which require musical performances and other forms ofartistic expression.The artists, the community and the schoolsConsciousness for identity and, on the part of the artists,the pride and passion for what they are doing and theirspiritual rewards even without the material motivationconstitute an intangible force in ensuring the perpetuityof traditional cultural expressions. The likes of SudjitDuryapranit, Unlan Hongtong and Damrong Chaipatin Thailand open and offer their houses as virtualschools for village youth. In Indonesia, newly emergedartist icons with high academic and social standing (e.g.,Rahayu Supangga, 29 I Wayan Dibia, Pak Jokro) providevenues for artists to perform and sustain the traditionalarts. They have actually joined the ranks of art patrons,who range from members of the Royal Household towealthy families. Such individual commitments are aresult of the sense of community that remains strong inboth Indonesia and Thailand, reflected in great part inthe communal nature of their performing arts media,especially the musical arts. There are regular communityprograms such as the Pendidikan Kahasajatraan Kluwarta(PKK) or Education Family Welfare Organizationprogram activities for women towards the acquisitionof useful skills. The cooperation between artists andcommunity extends to the local system. A number ofthese schools share a deep concern for the preservationof traditional arts, such as Mekar Arum High Schoolin Cinunuk Cileunyi in Bandung regency, which offersarts education in its three-year high school program andtakes pride in garnering major prizes in regional andnational competitions for young artists.Postlude/PreludeThe transmission of traditional expressive cultures is abroad arena in which modern infrastructures of learninghave generally been superimposed on traditionalmethodologies of pedagogy, whether exercised as aAsian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows