Dance Performance at Borobudur Relief

The Borobudur reliefs are not only works of art created by sculptors. They also represent a portrait of Javanese life in the past. One such portrait depicted in these reliefs is the culture of dance performances. Dances performed by girls, war dances, and even information about the types of dance performances depicted in the reliefs at Borobudur are presented. Such imagery is not only found in the reliefs but also in inscriptions that tell of the dance performances that took place at Borobudur in the past.

Performing arts, such as dance, were a thriving aspect of life during the Borobudur period. Professional dancers typically performed in markets or traveled from village to village. These street performances were known as "rara mabramana tintonton," which in ancient Javanese means "girls who go around the village to be watched." Today, these street dancers are better known as tledek or tayub.

Another dance carved into the reliefs of Borobudur Temple is the war dance. This dance is usually performed by a pair of dancers, or it can be performed by a single female dancer. In the relief dances, a bearded old man can often be seen behind the relief, clapping his hands to keep the rhythm of the dancer's dance.

Generally, dance performances during the Borobudur period were divided into two types based on their function. The first was domestic performances, and the second was ritual performances. Domestic performances themselves were also divided into two distinct types based on the audience, whether nobles or villagers. Consequently, dancers were also divided into two social classes: upper-class dancers and lower-class dancers. Noble artists were usually employed by the royal court, while commoners performed in the lower classes.

This situation is described in inscriptions mentioning "haji agencies" and "agarang agencies." The former were dancers owned by the king, while the latter were ordinary dancers. In contemporary Javanese, the latter group of dancers is better known as "ambarang" or barangan artists. They performed in markets or villages, going from house to house. This nineteenth-century image can still be seen in the Karmavibhanga relief at Borobudur Temple.