Topeng Pajegan: The Most Demanding Mask Performance
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 by Sidarta WijayaIt is not an exaggeration to state that Topeng Pajegan is the most demanding mask performance for an actor to stage. The distinguishing feature of Topeng Pajegan is that it is a monodrama in which a single dancer tells a story by portraying a succession of masked characters. With the help of a few simple theatrical conventions, the solo performer of Topeng Pajegan is able to tell a complicated and engrossing story single-handedly.
Topeng Pajegan is not an entirely secular performance which is devoted solely for the entertainment of the audience but it contains a ritual portion similar to the sacred dances which are performed only in the inner courtyard of the temple. The ritual portion is not integrated with the story performed by the dancer but is reserved for the end. In the sense that the ritual portion is the most important one and the secular portion of the performance is a prologue to ritual portion. At the end regardless of what story has been presented, a strange white-faced, buck-toothed, smiling character with long, wild hair comes to the stage. His name is Sidakarya which means ‘he who succeed in all task’. Only when he wears this mask, the dancer serves a specifically priestly function to pray for the success of a ceremony.
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