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Hi, I am Sarah. I
am Madania student. My title article
is Dalang; A man behind the screen. It refers to whom
played wayang itself . It is impossible to separate
wayang with Dalng. So who is he?
Dalang is a puppet
master in wayang play. Not everyone
can be a dalang. Dalang is a most extraordinary man.
First of all, he is a public entertainer. To amuse a
great number of people is not an easy matter. He must
be physically strong and healthy, otherwise he would
not be able to stand the strain.
Just imagine, he is seated cross-legged for nine
successive hours. He cannot even have a wink of sleep.
He cannot get up from his set until six oclock the
nextmorning. He also has to strike the kechrek
(rattle) with his right foot almost incessantly. He
handles the puppets with both hands, imitates their
different voices, tell jokes at the right times, and
even sings every now and then.
In addition, he controls
the musicians without anyone
among the audience ever noticing it.
The dalang manipulates
the puppets, sings and taps out
signals to the orchestra. He also speaks the parts for
all the characters; he must be able to render the shy
sweetness in the voice of a princess, the spiteful
whine of a lackey and the righteous but controlled
anger of a noble hero.
Do you want to be
a dalang?
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A
dalang is playing wayang
A dalang must
sit from evening until dawn..
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