sun, the puppets are the people and
the shadows are their spirits animated
by the hands of the dalang.'
Less than an hour later the show was
completed and Tamara appeared from
behind the screen. She was greeted by
a standing ovation.
Her ability to compress a performance
which usually takes eight to ten hours
to less than an hour is one of her keys
to success as a dalang in the United
States. Tamara understands that for
American people time is very valuable.
'Therefore,' she said, 'I have to shorten
the story without diminishing or chan
ging the essence of it.'
The May 31st show at the Consulate
was Tamara's 375th performance.
Modestly she admits that her ability as
a dalang is not perfect yet. 'I always
learn something new each time I per
form' she said. It seems that Tamara
doesn't stop there. She wants to learn
more from those who are more know
ledgeable than her. That is why she
visited the art school Institut Seni
Indonesia (ISI) in Yogyakarta. There,
Tamara obtained private lessons in
puppet manipulation from dalang
Junaidi S. Kav.
Childhood Memories
Tamara's unique wayang kulit perfor
mance attract many kinds of audiences
in the U.S. Some want it for pure en
tertainment and then there are those
who utilize it for educational purposes.
Tamara always meets her audiences'
needs. On cruise ships she performs
the traditional wayang story of
Ramayana, preceded by a brief expla
nation of the origin, philosophy and
art of wayang kulit theatre.
Within educational institutions, Tama
ra's presentations enhance student ap
preciation for other cultures. At ele
mentary and middle schools, Tamara
presents the story of Rama and Sinta
and tells the story of Siput and Kancil,
her favorite childhood folktale. After
the performance, Tamara conducts
workshops teaching students how to
make shadow puppets out of cardboard
into the images of Sinta and Rama,
Dasa Muka and Kancil or Siput. This
way, not only do the students passively
accept information on Indonesian cul
ture, but they also actively participate
in the making of the puppets.
Tamara's performances are also appli
cable for schools specializing in music.
Here she explains the differences
between Indonesian Gamelan and
Western musical instruments. In stoiy
telling and visual art classes, Tamara
uses the screen, light and puppet ma
nipulations to convey the significance
of this ancient shadow art.
The audiences love her performances
so much that some schools have asked
her to teach as an artist-in-residence
and many have sought private lessons
from her. 'However,' she said, 'to beco
me a dalang is something you have to
learn when you are young and it requi
res a lifelong commitment.'
The seeds of love for art that
flourished in Tamara had been planted
when she was a little girl in Indonesia.
For the first nine years she lived in two
places, Bandoeng and Garoet. Because
there was no school in Garoet, Tamara
lived with her grandmother in
Bandoeng where she went to school
plantation workers. At these all-night
long performances, Tamara and her
friends would go to the back of the
screen and sit on the floor beside the
dalang. There, Tamara was drawn into
the mystical world created by the sha
dow master and she observed his eveiy
gesture and memorized his voice
intonations. So, without realizing it,
Tamara absorbed the precious lessons
of a dalang which she incorporated in
to her performances 31 years later.
During those 31 years, Tamara sear
ched for a profession which would give
her satisfaction. After the movie world
in Paris and Hollywood did not give
her what she was looking for, Tamara
involved herself in the art of glass
sculptures. This craft gave her notorie
ty but it did not make her happy.
Finally, one day, Tamara remembered
her wonderful days in Java, especially
the performances of wayang kulit in
Garoet. From that day on, all her time
with her sister Yvon and brother John.
Tamara has a beautiful memory of her
grandmother. 'Every night before we
went to bed, oma always told us Indo
nesian legends,' she said, 'and the
legends made me feel close to the
Indonesian culture. She was also the
one who taught me that everything in
this world has a spirit. So for me, the
shadows on the screen are the spirits
or souls of my puppets.'
After school was over, Garoet was a
fun place to be for Tamara. Her stepfa
ther, an owner of a rubber plantation,
often invited the dalang along with the
gamelan orchestra to entertain the
and energy was focussed on becoming
a professional dalang.
Wayang kulit has become Tamara's life.
For the past nineteen years, Tamara
has consistently presented the beauty
of Indonesian culture to audiences
outside of Indonesia.
Should we not call her Ambassador of
Art for Indonesia?
27
42ste jaargang - nummer 10 - april I 998
