Sisingaan Dance

Sisingaan is a unique arts community featuring Sunda dolls giant lion which was carried by the players while dancing. On top of which carried the lion puppet was sitting a child who will be circumcised, or a public figure.

One story says that the art sisingaan circa 1840 created by the artists who come from Ciherang area, about 5 km from Subang City. At that time, Subang regency had become "owned" the Dutch and English with established P & T Lands. This causes like local government Subang be double, because politically dominated by the Dutch, but economically under the influence of the businessmen P & T Lands. As a result, the people of Subang become very miserable. In these circumstances, the arts sisingaan born as a form of popular resistance against the occupiers of both nations. And, to assert that sisingaan art is a form of resistance, then used two puppets lion is a symbol of the Dutch and the British state. Therefore, to this day in every game sisingaan always displayed at least two stuffed lions.

In a further development, the arts sisingaan not only spread to other areas in Subang District, but also to other districts in West Java, like Bandung Regency, Purwakarta and Sumedang. Apart from spreading to some areas, this art is also experiencing growth, both in the form of a lion puppet refinement, the arrangement of dance, costume players, as well as waditra and the songs being played.

The players are generally sisingaan men joined in a group consisting of: 8 people penggotong lion puppet (1 doll carried by 4 people), a leader of the group, some waditra players, and one or two people jajangkungan (players who using wood for as long as 3-4 meters walk). These players are people who have special skills, both in dancing and playing waditra. Special skill is necessary owned by each player, because in a show of collective sisingaan needed a solid team for all dance movement that is played while carrying a stuffed lion can be in harmony with the music played by the nayaga.

Arts sisingaan generally shown during the day with around the village during a circumcision ceremony, welcoming the great, the inauguration of the village head, the celebration of independence day and so on. The duration of a gig sisingaan usually takes a long time, depending on the area whether or not to be surrounded by homes.

Equipment used in the game sisingaan are: (1) two or four stretchers lion puppet. Stretcher frame and the head of a lion puppets are made of wood and bamboo are wrapped with cloth and given a seat on his back. Meanwhile, for the feathers in the head and tail made of yarn raffia. For the record, once a lion-shaped bier is made of wood with feathers from the rafters and the flowers are usually made in a snap in time to hold the show. So, first sisingaan not permanent, but only used once and then discarded; (2) waditra set consisting of: two large drums (percussion and drums ovarian children), a trumpet, three beats (bonangs), a kentrung (kulanter ), a small gong, and a kecrek.; and (3) fashion players consisting of: a pair shucks / pangsi, iket barangbang semplak, clothing and footwear taqwa tarumpah or salompak.

Sisingaan show begins with words of welcome by the group leader. After the group leader gives a speech said, then the child will be circumcised or community leaders who will be paraded welcome to climb the lion doll. Furthermore, beating accompaniment tool with songs brought the rhythmic dynamic as a sign of the beginning of the show. Then, a number of 8 players will begin to carry two lion doll (a doll carried by 4 people).

After the lion puppet penggotong ready, then the leader will start giving the cue for them to start doing the dance movements in unison and together. The doll penggotong immediately akrobatis movements are quite exciting. Dance movements are usually played by the puppet lion penggotong are: igeul ngayun glempang, plug / horse-riding, mincid, padungdung, gugulingan, bangkaret, put up, kicking two, step back, kael, ewag, jeblang, Jakarta, Solor , sesenggehan, genying, turn taktak, nanggeuy lions, lift jungjung, ngolecer, symbol, pasagi tilu, literacy cau, nincak rancatan, and kakapalan.

Meanwhile, the songs played by kawih interpreters to accompany the dances are usually drawn from the arts Tilu Tap, Doger, and Kliningan, such as: drought, Song, Titipatipa, Gondang, Kasreng, Gurudugan, Mapay Roko, Kembang prasina, Kangsring, Kembang Beureum, Fruit Kawung, Gondang, Tenggong Petit, Sesenggehan, Badudud, Tunggul Kawing, Side battered, Sireum Beureum, and the song Interlude (Siyur, Tepang Sono, Awet Rajet, Salira Fiber, Honey and Poison, Mr. Wonderful, Goyang Dombret, etc. Warudoyong ).

The show is performed while sisingaan around the village or the village, until finally returning to its place. And, with the dancers arriving in their place, then the show was over.

When examined in depth sisingaan contains not only the aesthetic value alone, but there are other values that in turn can be used as a reference in daily life for the community supporters. These values include cooperation, cohesiveness, order, dam persistence. The value of cooperation seen from the togetherness in preserving the cultural heritage of his predecessors. Cohesiveness and order value is reflected in a performance that can run smoothly. Value of hard work and persistence is reflected in the mastery of dance movements.