Yogyakarta – As the first cross-gender dancer in Indonesia, Didik Nini Thowok has never stopped working. The MURI-awarded (museum of the world-Indonesia’s records) artist came back with a project that had been done in a way that has never been thought of by other artists in the world.
To The Editor, Mr. Didik said that this project is aimed to restore the good name of Calon Arang, a woman who is well-known for her supernatural powers in Bali and Java’s histories.
Who is Calon Arang?
“Calon Arang is known as a powerful shaman, someone who does black magic, and an evil person. But, she is actually not like that in reality,” said Mr. Didik in a meeting placed in Ohmm Stay Hotel, Yogyakarta.
Calon Arang, who is also known as Ratu Dirah, is a mother of a very beautiful daughter named Retno Mangali.
Unfortunately, there’s none who wants to marry Retno Mangali due to her mother’s image.
Knowing that, Mr. Didik said, Calon Arang is furious. She doesn’t accept the condition that the community gives to her charming, good daughter.
Calon Arang then releases curses and rage that cause havoc everywhere.
It’s up until the arrival of a man named Mpu Bahula in her palace. He says he wants to marry Retno Mangali.
But the peace doesn’t stay long. He, who brings hope of the end of the havoc, turns out to be not more than a thief. He steals the powerful holy book of Calon Arang.
He gives the book to his master named Mpu Barantah. That enrages Calon Arang even more that she releases all of her anger and becomes a leak.
All of these events, for Mr. Didik, has its own interpretation. That’s why he wants to picture the graceful, attractive Calon Arang who makes many people jealous of her.
“She’s angry because of that, and it brings a war. Calon Arang is very powerful and she becomes a leak. That’s what happened in Bali’s history,” he said.
To him, Calon Arang’s anger is normal because she’s still just an ordinary woman. This aspect then leads him to play a dance titled “Dwimuka Ardhanareswari”.
Through this dance, it is hoped that the good name of Calon Arang, who is gentle but also owns a big anger, can be restored.
The dance is played at Pura Dalem Calon Arang, Putuk Village, Kandangan Sub-District, Kediri District, East Java.
What is the meaning of “Dwimuka Ardhanareswari” dance?
Mr. Didik said, the Dwimuka Ardhanareswari dance is a symbol of the embodiment of Yin and Yang, the symbol of dualism, good and bad, that exists in humans.
In this dance, he uses two masks; a leak mask in the front and a mask of a pretty woman in the back.
The mask in the front symbolizes the anger of a woman that is very strong and dreadful, while the mask in the back is a picture of the beauty of Calon Arang that is second to none.
“This has something to do with Calon Arang because she is very strong, she learns tantrabirawa, supernatural powers,” said Mr. Didik.
“At that time there was emancipation where Calon Arang was a queen, a woman, and there was jealousy from both men and women.”
“The men were jealous and started thinking about how to stop her. That’s why men create a bad image of her. That’s what I express.”
“So I’m going to dance with a beautiful mask in the back, meaning I have to dance with limited movement, there’s no freedom there.”
“It tells the audience not to be deceived and carried away by the dancer. You’ve seen the beautiful me but its movement is very limited.”
“But when you see an ugly face, then I can move in any direction I want. I am free to choose my moves.”
“This means that the ugly is much better than the beautiful. In my life, I have seen that the beautiful have a very bad heart.”
How is Calon Arang’s appearance before becoming a leak?
Calon Arang turns out to have a very ideal body shape, and could even be included in the category of the perfect woman because of her beautiful breasts and beautiful face.
“Calon Arang is actually a good person. She is a symbol of a woman with big breasts that can feed many people,” said Mr. Didik.
Unfortunately, a woman with big breasts in the Javanese and Balinese myths is often said as a devil who loves to hurt people with her black magic.
“Calon Arang is actually life itself because she is a symbol of breasts. But, earlier, because there was competition and jealousy, her image was made to be bad in the end,” he added.
Even though she is called as the Queen of Witchcraft, many officials ask for gifts from Calon Arang Temple
From Mr. Didik’s explanation, it is known that the Palace of Calon Arang is often visited by officials in this country. They come to ask for power and success for their career.
It is in stark contrast to the bad image of Calon Arang as the Queen of Black Magic.
“I was once invited to meet one of the respected elders in Kediri. And he told me that there are many officials who come to the palace and ask for blessings,” he said.
The guardian of the palace, on the other hand, told Mr. Didik that the artist only wants to dance in the palace–which turns out to allure The Queen to come.
“He knows I only want to dance and my intention is accepted. It’s because I just want to dance, and don’t ask for anything else, I’m accepted,” he explained,
Didik Nini Thowok is chosen to change the image of Calon Arang
Mr. Didik is summoned by the guardian of the Palace of Calon Arang. The reason is, in his earlier visit to Kediri on May 14th 2023, he could feel another entity trying to get into his body while he was purposely dancing in front of the palace.
“I was dancing with a pretty mask in that site of Calon Arang. While dancing, I know that I can’t stop and it feels like someone is guiding me. I was exhausted after that,” he said.
Not only exhausted, Mr. Didik also bursted into tears.
“That event is weird. This is how it went: I was put to wear gelungan by the guardian of the palace, and I also bursted into tears. But I knew why I cried. After that I can control myself, I asked permission to dance but only for a few seconds then I fell down–but it didn’t hurt. I was just surprised and quiet,” he explained.
After managing to calm down, Mr. Didik, who at that time was accompanied by pecalang and the guardian of the Palace of Calon Arang, was asked to dance at the new site of Calon Arang which is not far from the palace’s location.
After the conversation with the guardian and the respected elder in Kediri, it is revealed that the entity who tried to get into Mr. Didik’s body earlier is Calon Arang herself who asked for her good name to be restored.
“I have a sibling in Bali who is also a pedande (Hindu religious leaders in Bali), and get to know that I am chosen to restore the good image of Calon Arang,” he said.
Mr. Didik, who is a Catholic, also gets support from the priests of the Churches in Maria Rawaseneng Cave.
For the first time in the world, the play of Calon Arang with a beautiful face is presented
The play of Calon Arang with a beautiful face was presented with the “Dwimuka Ardhanareswari” in Kediri on Saturday (3/6) at 11.00 pm, at the moment of the rise of the full moon.
Mr. Didik said he feels honored to be given such an opportunity to play the dance of Calon Arang with her beautiful face. It is because Calon Arang has been long portrayed as a woman who is very old, ugly, and is brought by men.
“There’s none who has ever portrayed the beauty of Walunatting Dirah. Never, even in Bali. The dancers always bring up her image with a woman who is very old, ugly, and the dance is presented by the men,” he explained.
The play which becomes his project is not for commercial use. But he is delighted that many people support his decision.
“All of this is not for commercial use but there are many people who support me. Even the Kempinski Bali is provided for me. I don’t believe it. I only believe that I don’t do this for me but for the Universe,” he concluded.
