Gambir Anom Traditional Dance

Gambir Anom Traditional Dance

Central Java is a province in Indonesia that located in the middle of Java Island. The capital of Central Java is Semarang. This province is conterminal with West Java on the west, Hindia Ocean and Yogyakarta on the south, East Java on the East, and Java sea on the north. This province has region 32.548 km2 or about 28.94% of Java Island. The province of Central Java  involves Nusakambangan island on the south near the conterminal of West Java, and Karimunjawa at Java Sea ( http://www.masifan.com/2016/11/karimunjawa-national-park.html )

The notion of Central Java geographically and culturally, sometimes involes the region of Yogyakarta. Central Java is known as the “heart” of Java culture. However, at this province there is another tribe that also has the different culture with Java tribe like Sunda who lives on the conterminal with West Java and also Indonesia-Chinese, Indonesia-Arabian and Indonesia-Hindia that lived spreading at this province.

If we talk about the local arts and local arts in the entire archipelago is different types and shapes. Be it in the form of dance, music, customs, and the form of houses and traditional weapons.

But, as the development of the times, conservationists art among the students more decrease. One of the traditional dance that receding among the students is Gambir Anom dance.

The graceful movements of Gambir Anom dancers of Central Java is like hypnotizing every audiences who watch that performance.The dance that comes  Surakarta has  a lot of unique features ranging from the history, the costumes, to the accompanying music instruments.

And the story that played at this dance talked about the feature of Irawan the son of Arjuna who felt in love to the girl.


Description of Gambir Anom

Although at beginning this dance is perfomed by the man but now sometimes there are some girls perfomed Gambir Anom dance.

When this dance is perfomed at tribute ceremony, usually the dancer will draping “sampur” that will be a property to the guess. It means that the dancers offer to the guess to dance together with them.

Gambir Anom dance is from Surakarta. But there is no certain record talking about the origin and who created this traditional dance. As stated above that this dance is describe about the figure of Gambir or Irawan -  the son of Raden Arjuna who felt in love to the girl. This dance was taken from the story of Mahabarata at often perform on “Wayang Orang” (http://www.masifan.com/2016/07/the-history-of-shadow-puppet.html). The character of this dance is man, but sometimes we often see that this dance perform by the girls. The condition likes this often happen in Indonesia.

The unique of the motion can be seen clearly where this dance beside perform the graceful motion but also perform the pantomime motion like confuse, grooming etc.

For closing, #masifan.com tries to make short conclusion talking about Gambir Anom dance as stated above :

Background     :     the love story   

Content    :    This dance describes about the man who falls in love to the girl and he does grooming every day. Describing the man who always straighten his hair, face, eyebrow and his clothe. Then face the mirror, divagate as if his girl is in front of him. This story is also describe about the love of Gambir Anom or Irawan the son of Arjuna perfomed by the dance. 

Function      :    As a guideline of human life in the world and as entertainment or performances.

Costume    :    It is used accesories like wings and “kuluk of Hanoman”.   This dance has accompanied rapid.

Motion    :   The motion are consists of mendak, kanser, lumaksana  malangkerik, lumaksana blambangan.