Wayang Kulit | Traditional Balinese Shadow Puppets

Exercise 5: The Balinese Puppeteer

Bali is an island of Indonesia visited by throngs of holidaymakers.  The Balinese shadow playing otherwise known as wayang kulit, is a good portrayal of Bali’s rich culture.  The man behind the wayang kulit is more than a mere puppeteer controlling the puppets which cast the shadows depicting the characters and story.  He also needs skills that are difficult to come by today.

The puppeteer, or dalang has to be dexterous with his fingers, as all ten of them are put to use to control his intricately decorated leather puppets.  He has to cause them to spring at each other, give gestures or stand at a corner - whatever the story demands.  A good dealing must have a good knowledge of Balinese folk stories to draw a crowd.  Dalangs who hardly know of an appealing story would not be able to make much of a living as every member of the audience is required to pay to watch the performance.

Physical strength is another method used to judge if a dalang is well-trained.  During a wayang kulit show, the dalang has to sit cross-legged, without a break, throughout the entire performance, some of which may go on all night! Needless to say, a night show is better than a day show as temperatures drop in the evening.  Furthermore, it is more interesting to watch puppets behind a screen than to see them directly. Sadly, the wayang kulit is a dying art as there is so much competition from other sources to keep oneself entertained.