Javanese Dance - A Historical Color in Modern Life

Looking into temple reliefs at Prambanan and Borobudur, the two temples that have been became a silent witness of Javanese history, means that you are looking to a long history of Javanese dance. As shown by those two reliefs, it is easy to conclude that the dance has become an important part of Java's society. Even if you do not understand the philosophical meaning of a their dance, you could easily see the mystical boundary that surrounded Javanese's life since a hundred years ago.

Nowadays, dance is still featured in Javanese's modern life. It is become an important part of any ceremonies, festivals, and community's celebration, whether it's in villages, towns, or even in urban center. The Javanese dance now, it's not just an ordinary ritual performed by ordinary people. It is performed by professional dancer, which relatively young and able to improve, stylize, and combine the classical value with the modern touch. Fact has it that even modern Java's society is moving in a rapid acceleration due to globalization, the essence of classic dance is remain there and never forgotten.

The essences of Javanese dance are not only the great decoration and the elegant movement, but also the behavioral lesson lies behind, that make it able to transfer some desirable characters. Up to now, The Javanese dance is intended to encourage desirable qualities: elegant, self confidence, smooth nature, concentration, perseverance, grace, and also dignity. That's why, it is is often considered as an expressive dance, which serve as a medium of moral education, emotional expression, and tool to spread the Javanese culture.

Several key factors like beauty movement, magical gamelan music, and pendopo stage, which are stand alongside the Javanese Dance and make it enjoyable, are the true reflection of high cultural intelligence acquired by Javanese people, a part of world's community which is known as a society with a lot knowledge of art and cultural values.