What is the structure of Javanese dance?

Javanese dance is usually accompanied by Gamelan musical instruments, in addition to the performance of the struggle between good and evil dance rhythm is slightly faster, the general rhythm is leisurely and slow, the action mainly rely on the two wrists and fingers to show that the dancers to maintain a semi-squatting posture or straight posture, a serious and single look, no joy, anger, sadness or happiness expression, the dancers' feelings are only through the wrists, finger movements and music to reflect the very delicate, gentle, and elegant. The dancers' feelings are only reflected through the movements of their wrists and fingers and the music, which is very delicate and euphemistic. The rhythm of the dance is leisurely, slow, elegant and poetic, and the silk scarf around the waist of the dancers is an important accessory, which is common to both male and female characters. During the performance, the dancers use their fingers to gently clip the sagging silk scarf, and then flick it outward to make the dance more beautiful and moving.

Famous Javanese dances include the Solo court dance, the Srimbi, which was originally enjoyed only by members of the royal family, but was gradually popularized in the community. According to the number of participants as well as the content of the performance and the different lyrics, the Srimbi dance is divided into a number of kinds, the most common Srimbi dance is mainly taken from the Javanese historical stories. The performers are four young girls, dancers in groups of two, all wearing gorgeous light-colored national costumes, head wearing glittering headdresses, hands wearing long gold-colored fingernail sets, dancing to the accompaniment of Gamelan musical instruments. The performance usually lasts for about an hour, and although there are sometimes battle scenes during the performance, the overall dance style of the performers always maintains the soft and graceful character of Javanese dance.

Berdaya is also a famous Javanese dance, and as a court dance, it was heavily influenced by the religious culture that prevailed at the time. The dance is much the same as the Srimbi dance in terms of content and posture, and is usually performed by nine young girls. The number nine is very sacred in Indian culture, and for the Javanese, who were once y influenced by Hindu teachings, the number nine has supernatural powers, and they believe that "nine" can bring good things to life. Therefore, dancing this dance undoubtedly sends people's longing and hope for a better life, and now this dance has also become a kind of ornamental cultural program.

In Central Java and East Java is also prevalent in a single performer, imitating the action of horseback riding folk dance, dancers for men, props for the bamboo compiled flat bamboo horse, in order to be beautiful and realistic, the bamboo horse is generally painted black or brown, the dancers steer the "horse" whip, in order to athletic and graceful dance performances galloping horse scene.

West Java's dance belongs to the Sundanese dance, in the plot, costumes and the actor's movements and expressions, than in Central Java and East Java's dance is more varied and more compact, which is related to the West Java more acceptance of foreign cultural influences. Its main dances include the Tsepangan Dance, a classical dance of the Sundanese people of West Java, which is superior to some Indonesian martial arts movements, and the actors are generally female, characterized by gentleness and elegance, together with the martial arts movements, which can be described as soft and strong. The Sundanese Slimbi dance reflects the stories in the Wajan shadow theater. In West Java popular dance and peacock dance and butterfly dance, etc., the expression of the peacock open screen colorful and butterfly fluttering gorgeous, the actors to soft and charming image, so that the audience pleasing to the eye, get a good spiritual enjoyment.

The Javanese also have the very famous Entrance Dance. The dance's rich musical elements and diverse social functions give it a sense of religious ritual. Although the Javanese is a follower of Islam, but does not prevent it from combining with other religious beliefs, full of traditional Javanese religious meaning of the folk dance is precisely in the collision of faith and beliefs rubbed out a new spark, become one of the most popular dance forms of the Javanese people, while the music is used in the traditional Indonesian gamelan, the Islamic religious singing chanting and a variety of Javanese popular music. It not only preserves the traditional Javanese culture, but also adapts to the needs of modern society and culture. The dance, as a religious ritual, has the function of folk medicine and entertainment, and is even strongly supported by the governmental authorities due to the popularity and acceptance of the people. The Entrance Dance has some regional differences in the Javanese, but the dance structure as well as the content is more or less the same, and can generally be divided into seven parts: worship, opening dance, symbolic worship, carrying out the ceremony, the lost soul ceremony, the protection of worship, and the closing ceremony.