Bangsawan
            Bangsawan, formerly Wayang  Parsi, is a performance art in comedy form that combines drama, music, and  dance into a complete aesthetic performance experience. It originated from the outside  of Malay Peninsula. According to Ediruslan dan Hasan Junus (ny), the Bengsawan was brought by group of Wayang Parsi artists who were zoroasterians  escaped to India since they denied to embrace Islam as their religion.  Edirsulan and Junus further said that the group was not from Persia (Iran). The  performance art, as a term is usually understood, began to be identified in Malay  land in the 1870s with the coming of the descendants of those zoroasterians.  They settled in Mumbay, came to Penang Island (1870 C.E), and spread the Wayang Parsi performance among Malay people.  From the Penang Island, the Wayang Parsi  gradually becomes a popular performing art in Malay culture. The Wayang Parsi is recognized and performed  in Malay Sultanates in North Sumatra, Riau, and West Kalimantan, Indonesia.       
    It is estimated that the  name of Wayang Parsi changed into Bangsawan when the performance art  entered Penyengat Island  in 1906 C.E. From the island, the Bangsawan  proliferates in other areas in Riau Islands. Unlike in the Penyengat Island where  the Bangsawan is not so well recognized,  the performance art gains its popularity in other areas in Daik-Lingga, and  Dabo-Singkep. In addition, the society in both areas claims to be the owner of  the Bangsawan. The claim is always  repeated as the Bangsawan is  performed. Hence, if the word Bangsawan  is heard, one will remind about the two areas above.
    Abu Muhammad Adnan is  believed to be the first person who named the performing art as Bangsawan. Among the repertory theater  that he initiated, Abu Muhammad is well known as Mamak Phusi or Phusi Indra  Bangsawan of Penang. This folk-art is stambul  comedy (one genre of comedy) which portrays high social life usually the kingdom  life. This performing art is also called as Wayang  Bangsawan or Indra Bangsawan.    
    Since the Bangsawan is usually combined with music  and dance, it relies heavily on both songs and plot of the story. Typically,  during the Bangsawan performance,  songs for Joged and Zapin dance are played. Besides those  songs, other songs such as Stambul Dua, Stambul Opera, and Dondang Sayang are also used to intersperse the performance. Regarding  the plot, several stories are staged such as 1001 Nights story, Indian tales,  and Malay stories. Each story is partitioned into several scenes and every  scene will be commenced with sret (a  prologue describing the upcoming scene). The sret is very pivotal in the Bangsawan  as it explains the spectators what the upcoming scene will be about.      
    The actors of  performance consist of 
    - Sri Panggung (the character is played by the most beautiful  actress since she will be main actress) 
- Young man
- King
- Queen
- Minister
- Hulu Balang (Commandant)
- Saudagar (traders)
- Inang-Dayang (servants)
- Khadam (comedian) 
The amount of  participants is ranging from 20 to 25 people. The conversation usually uses Malay  language with Riau Islands dialect. Below is the example of conversation  between Dayang and Hadang (name of commandant)
    Dayang: “Manelah Panglime Hadang nih? Sudah  bermain-main di taman tak ade. Sebentar lagi kalau Tuan Puteri sudah datang  kemari pasti akan murke kalau melihat Panglime Hadang tak ade. Bencilah same  die. Pak Hadang, Pak Hadang, o…Pak Hadang. Kemane aje wak nih?”
    Hadang: “Lagi sibuk betul aku, patik…e salah,  e…sesat. Jalan-jalan ke taman larangan nih, nyari-nyari jelutung. Untunglah ada  Mak Inang di belakang nunjuk sane tu…tu..hah…baru sampai”.
    The hidden message  conveyed in the conversation is appreciation, admiration, and respect of people  will increase as the wisdom of king increases. The meaning of conversation is  similar to that of Malay prominent proverb:      
    Raja adil raja disembah, raja lalim raja disanggah dan Hukum adil kepada rakyat, tanda raja beroleh  inayat. 
    (Just King will be obeyed  while tyrannical King will be abandoned)
    Performed usually in the  night around 20 pm, the Bangsawan is  purposed to enliven several Malay ceremonies such as the life circle ceremonies  (marriage and circumcision), and Islamic sacred days. In addition, the  performing art is also utilized to add more color to national big days such as tujuh belasaan (Indonesia Independence  Day), and other important special events. The duration of performance depends  on the plot of the story and the available time. Nowadays, however, the bangsawan is performed merely in the Indonesian  Independence Day. 
    Unlike modern performing  art, the bangsawan is not directed by the director. The performing art is  exhibited in a stage where the actors play their roles. The stage is ornamented  with background serving as screen called layar  stret. The theme painted and portrayed in the layar stret is usually which are correlated to the kingdom such as  palace, garden, jungle, panorama, etc. However, the layar stret theme depends on the kind of the story staged on the  performing art.       
    The performance art of bangsawan can be in any situation that  involves four basic elements: music, songs, dances, and action. The musical  instruments accompaniments are violin, accordion, drum, and gong. The costume  worn is usually bangsawan (high class  society) dresses. 
    The bangsawan performance is divided into three stages: 
    - Opening art: usually commenced by  the songs and dance which describe the upcoming story. Each group plays their  dance and sings the song according to their roles in the story.
- Shifting themes/scenes: usually the shifting  scenes is followed by the change of the layar  stret and interspersed with the songs explaining the upcoming story
- Ending: the bangsawan usually is ended with closing song and dance.  
(HQ/ter/24/7-07)
    Source: 
    - Amanrisa, Ediruslan dan  Hasan Junus. t.t. Seni pertunjukan  Tradisional (Teater Rakyat) Daerah Riau. 
- Galba, Sindu  dan Siti Rohana. 2002. Peta Kesenian Rakyat  Melayu Kebupaten kepulauan Riau, Tanjungpinang: Departemen Pendidikan dan  Kebudayaan.
- Marden, William. 1999. Sejarah Sumatera. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya
Credit photo : www.heritage.gov.my    
             
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