Topeng dances
Topeng dances
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Topeng dances

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Topeng dances

Topeng (from Balinese: ᬢᭀᬧᬾᬂ; Javanese: ꦠꦺꦴꦥꦺꦁ, romanized: topèng; Sundanese: ᮒᮧᮕᮨᮔᮌ) is a dramatic form of Indonesian dance in which one or more mask-wearing ornately costumed performers interpret traditional narratives concerning fabled kings, heroes, and myths, accompanied by gamelan or other traditional music instruments. Topeng dance is a typical Indonesian dance that can be found in various regions of Indonesia. Topeng dance has the main characteristic that the dancers use masks to cover their faces. The dance will usually be performed by one dancer or a group of dancers.

Topeng is widely used in dances that are part of traditional ceremonies or the retelling of ancient stories from the ancestors. It is believed that topeng is closely related to ancestral spirits, which are considered to be the interpretations of gods. In some tribes, topeng still adorns various daily artistic and customary activities. Topeng dance is a dance performance filled with meaningful symbols that are expected to be understood by the audience. These symbols are conveyed through the colors of the masks, the expressions of the masks, and the accompanying music. The meaning conveyed can be in the form of leadership values, love, wisdom, and many others expressed through the medium of dance movements.

In 2010, Topeng Cirebon from Cirebon, West Java was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.

The term topeng is the Javanese word for "mask" or "dance-drama that uses the mask". In modern daily Javanese and Indonesian vocabulary, tari topeng or "topeng dance" refers to a dance or dance-drama performance that uses a mask.

Indonesian masked dance predates Hindu-Buddhist influences. Native Indonesian tribes still perform traditional masked-dances to represent nature, as the Hudoq dance of the Dayak people of Kalimantan, or to represent ancestor spirits. With the arrival of Hinduism in the archipelago, the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics began to be performed in masked-dance.

The oldest known record that concerns Topeng dance is from the ninth century. Around 840 AD an Old Javanese (Kawi) inscriptions called Jaha Inscriptions issued by Maharaja Sri Lokapala form Medang Kingdom in Central Java mentions three sorts of performers: atapukan, aringgit, and abanol. Atapukan means Mask dance show, Aringgit means Wayang puppet show, and abanol means joke art.

On the inscription of Candi Perot (850 AD), the word "manapel" is written from the word "tapuk" or "tapel" which means mask. On the Bebetin inscription (896 AD) there is the word "patapukan" which means a mask association. In the Mantiasih inscription (904 AD) there are the terms "matapukan" and "manapukan" which means that they relate to the drama presentation of masks.

The most popular storyline of topeng dance, however, is derived from the locally developed Javanese Panji cycles, based on the tales and romance of Prince Panji and Princess Chandra Kirana, set in the 12th-century Kadiri kingdom.

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