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Cakepung: Ancient Merry Performance

Published 11 months, 2 weeks ago in Arts & Culture by Sidarta Wijaya | 715 Views

Cakepung is a male social performance, combination of singing and dancing, done strictly for recreation and amusement, and is found today only in Karangasem Regency and on Lombok, its former vassal state. This folk-performance derives its name onomatopoeically from the sound of its accompaniment, a rhythmic vocal sound similar to that produced by the cak chorus. In the accompaniment, two dozen vocalists chant ‘pung-cakapung’ in unison.

A performance of cakapung might take place any evening during leisure time. The dancers gather at about seven o’clock at the bale banjar with simple costume, a sarong, headdress, a shirt sometimes bare-chested. Some participants bring bottles of tuak (Balinese palm wine), brem (sweet wine) or arak (distilled palm wine).

The men sit formally in a circle on the floor of bale banjar with their bottles of liquor in front of them. One of the participants picks up a palm leaf manuscript, containing texts of macapat songs, classical love songs or laments, written in Balinese, derives from Arja, the Balinese opera. The reader sings a sentence from the manuscript to the accompaniment of a suling, small flute, and rebab, or spiked fiddle. After each line of the song, another member of the group speaks for a minute or so, elaborating on the sentence from the song and clarifying it for the audience by using everyday Balinese language, who may have trouble understanding the song that usually in ancient Kawi language or high Balinese.

As evening passes, different members of the group take over the reading and explanatory functions. Everyone drinks freely while singing goes on. As the men feel the effects of the tuak, arak, and brem, the occasion becomes very boisterous. Shouts and arguments may develop over the interpretation of the song.

At last someone abruptly stands up. “pung!” shouts the leader, “Pung-cakapung-cakapung!” the other men join in the chant and several more stand up to dance, some still holding their glass of liquor. One or more of the men may have a genggong, a small, lyre-shaped musical instrument made of bamboo or palm leaf, which he holds between his teeth and strikes as he dances. The movement is improvisational, comic in style, and resembles joged dance’s ngibing without flirtatious element. A cheering, laughing crowd surrounds the performers. As one dancer gets tired, he sits down and is replaced by another. The fun goes on until late in the evening.

Genjek performance on The 28^th Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006

This merry performance is considered the father genjek, a modern form a cakepung that uses everyday Balinese language in its song, eliminate the need of pengarti or explainer. It now becomes the most popular social performance in Karangasem.

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