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Competition in the Sundanese Performing Arts of West Java, Indonesia)
Introduction
The area of West Java, Indonesia is home to a rich variety of Sundanese
performing arts. The Sundanese number approximately 35 million, and are the second most numerous group in Indonesia after the Javanese.2 In the latter half of the twentieth century many of the Sundanese performing arts have shifted from being widely dispersed through the rural areas to being concentrated in the regional capital city of Bandung. Several factors have contributed to this shift toward Bandung, including the achievement of Indonesian independence from the Dutch in 1945, increased urbanization, the establishment of performing arts academies, and media influences.3 Many of the musicians and dancers still performing today have taken part in the dramatic changes that have occurred in establishing Bandung as a cultural center, and have altered their lives-and, in some cases, their ideals, through their acceptance of changing standards of performance-to reserve a place for Sundanese arts and artists in the 21st century. This article examines the competitions, sheds light on the relatively new trend of establishing standards through regional competitions, and highlights potential developments in the local performing arts if the trend of competitions continues.
Prior to Indonesian Independence the Sundanese performing arts were either closely tied to village traditions of agriculture or were supported by (and performed for) the members of the hereditary aristocracy. It is the traditions most valued by the former aristocracy (including dance, instrumental music, singing, and recitation), as well as those that developed after Independence (popular Sundanese music as well as staged and choreographed social dance), that form the backbone of modern competitions in the performing arts. With the breakdown of the patronage system following Independence, many musicians had to move to Bandung to find work. During the post-Independence era many musicians had to temporarily abandon their vocation, seeking livelihoods in any field that provided an income. By the early 1960s the Indonesian economy was sufficiently restructured so that musicians once more thrived under a type of reorganized urban patronage, including performing for department store openings, television shows, hotel guests, and weddings with several thousand people in attendance.
Since the 1960s, competitions have increasingly become a major avenue for the promotion and marketing of Sundanese...