Forms And Functions Of Traditional Folk Dance In Central Java

Abstract

The arts and culture of traditional Javanese dance, both classical and folk, are still alive, especially in the life of the people of Central Java. Central Java society consists of people who live by upholding the cultural values of the palace with the lives of the general public who uphold the values of folklore. Both the cultural values of the palace and the local cultural values that exist in each region, at present seem to have merged into one local culture of Central Java which is upheld for its nobility.

As has been stated, for the life of traditional Javanese dance, both classical and folk dances are alive and well. Of course the development is in their respective dimensions because both have different roots of emergence (Mangoensong & Yanuartuti, 2020; Lestari et al., 2021; Astuti, 2010). Any existing embodiment is a reflection of the culture of the owner community. Classical traditional dance is a reflection of the life of the palace community which describes how the life of the palace in the past. Likewise, traditional folk dance, which of course also describes the socio-cultural life of the community where the art of dance appears, lives, and develops (Buckland, 2007).

The life of the world of dance in the general public and on campuses such as the conservation campus of Universitas Negeri Semarang, which is located in the capital city of Central Java, has become a strong pillar for the existence of every type of dance, or especially traditional dance in Central Java, to be well preserved. The types of dances for classical, folk, and even modern are need to be upheld for their noble values. In this regard, it is important to study the process of existing dance arts realization and preservation, whether traditional classical or traditional folk, even those that have developed into a modern traditional dance form. However, before examining complex issues, this paper only discusses a very basic problem, namely "the form and function of traditional folk dance in Central Java". It is hoped that in the future, by knowing how the form and how the people's traditional dance is functioned by the supporting community, it will also be possible to study other issues related to the existence of traditional populist dances that live in Central Java society in general.