Natural way to straighten hair

Natural way to straighten hair

Celery was able to make naturally straight hair.



Instead of the salon and straighten hair with chemicals that can cause hair damage, better try the following natural way!



Take one bunch of celery leaves, pound until crushed, put some water and then wring it out and take the water.

Celery juice Let stand for 1 night.

The next day use the celery water to massage the scalp it flat, then let stand until a few minutes.

Rinse with using shampoo to clean.

Do it every day for 10 consecutive days.

source : http://gadis.co.id

Komodo Island

Komodo Island

 
Komodo is one of the 17,508 islands that make up the Republic of Indonesia. The island has a surface area of 390 km² and over 2000 inhabitants. The inhabitants of the island are descendants of former convicts who were exiled to the island and who have mixed themselves with the Bugis from Sulawesi. The population are primarily adherents of Islam but there are also Christian and Hindu minorities.

Komodo is part of the Lesser Sunda chain of islands and forms part of the Komodo National Park. Particularly notable here is the native Komodo dragon. In addition, the island is a popular destination for diving. Administratively, it is part of the East Nusa Tenggara province.

Location

Komodo lies between the substantially larger neighboring islands Sumbawa to the west and Flores to the east.


Fauna

The island is famous not only for its heritage of convicts but also for the unique fauna which roam it. The Komodo dragon, the world's largest living lizard, takes its name from the island. A type of monitor lizard, it inhabits Komodo and some of the smaller surrounding islands.


Sail Indonesia 2011

Komodo island will be more popularized by Sail Indonesia 2011 on June with about 120 yachts from at least 20 countries and will start from the provincial city of Kupang through Alor, Lembata, Maumere, Ende, Rote Ndao, Sabu, Sumba Timur, Riung, Sumba Tengah and Labuan Bajo as the mouth of Komodo island.[1]

Borobudur Tempel

Borobudur Tempel 

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 8th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.[1] A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.

The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.

Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the 14th-century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam.[2] Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3] Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.[4][5][6]

Construction

There is no written record of who built Borobudur or of its intended purpose.[18] The construction time has been estimated by comparison between carved reliefs on the temple's hidden foot and the inscriptions commonly used in royal charters during the 8th and 9th centuries. Borobudur was likely founded around 800 AD.[18] This corresponds to the period between 760 and 830 AD, the peak of the Sailendra dynasty in central Java,[19] when it was under the influence of the Srivijayan Empire. The construction has been estimated to have taken 75 years and been completed during the reign of Samaratungga in 825.[20][21]

There is confusion between Hindu and Buddhist rulers in Java around that time. The Sailendras were known as ardent followers of Buddhism, though stone inscriptions found at Sojomerto suggest they may have been Hindus.[20] It was during this time that many Hindu and Buddhist monuments were built on the plains and mountains around the Kedu Plain. The Buddhist monuments, including Borobudur, were erected around the same time as the Hindu Shiva Prambanan temple compound. In 732 AD, the Shivaite King Sanjaya commissioned a Shivalinga sanctuary to be built on the Ukir hill, only 10 km (6.2 miles) east of Borobudur.[22]

Construction of Buddhist temples, including Borobudur, at that time was possible because Sanjaya's immediate successor, Rakai Panangkaran, granted his permission to the Buddhist followers to build such temples.[23] In fact, to show his respect, Panangkaran gave the village of Kalasan to the Buddhist community, as is written in the Kalasan Charter dated 778 AD.[23] This has led some archaeologists to believe that there was never serious conflict concerning religion in Java as it was possible for a Hindu king to patronize the establishment of a Buddhist monument; or for a Buddhist king to act likewise.[24] However, it is likely that there were two rival royal dynasties in Java at the time—the Buddhist Sailendra and the Saivite Sanjaya—in which the latter triumphed over their rival in the 856 battle on the Ratubaka plateau.[25] This confusion also exists regarding the Lara Jonggrang temple at the Prambanan complex, which was believed that it was erected by the victor Rakai Pikatan as the Sanjaya dynasty's reply to Borobudur,[25] but others suggest that there was a climate of peaceful coexistence where Sailendra involvement exists in Lara Jonggrang.[26]

source : wikipedia.com

Dance in Indonesia

Historical eras

The Prehistoric Tribal Era  

 Kabasaran dance, Minahasa North Sulawesi.

Prior to their contact with the outer world the people of the Indonesian archipelago had already developed their own styles of dancing, still somewhat preserved by those who resist outside influences and choose tribal life in the interior of Sumatra (example: Batak, Nias, Mentawai), of Kalimantan/Borneo (example: Dayak, Punan, Iban), of Java (example: Badui), of Sulawesi (example: Toraja, Minahasa), of the Moluccan Islands and of Papua (example: Dani, Amungme).

Dances in Indonesia is believed by many scholars to have had its beginning in rituals and religious worship.[3] Such dances are usually based on rituals, like the war dances, the dance of witch doctors, and dance to call for rain or any agricultural related rituals such as Hudoq dance ritual of Dayak people. Others are inspired by nature, such as the Tari Merak (Peafowl dance) of West Java. Ancient forms are usually characterized by repetitive movements like the Tor-Tor dance of the Batak people of (North Sumatra). The dancing also is meant to let the human's inner spirit come out, and also to calm or appease the spirits. Some of the tribal dances involving trance mental condition which interpreted as channeling the spirits through the dancer's body movements. Tari Sanghyang Dedari is a special dance of Bali, in which the dancers are pre-pubescent girls in trance, chasing away bad spirits. The dance of kuda lumping and keris dance also involve trance.

The Hindu-Buddhist Era

Lakshmana, Rama and Shinta in Ramayana ballet at Prambanan, Java.

With the advent of Dharmic religions in Indonesia, Hinduism and Buddhism were celebrated in ritual and in art. They incorporated stories of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and also Panji cycles into dance-drama, which is called "Sendratari" (dance-drama) or sometimes simply translated as "ballet". Highly stylized methods of dances were developed and are still obvious nowadays, especially in the islands of Java and Bali. The Javanese Ramayana dance-drama is regularly staged and performed in 9th century Prambanan temple compound, Yogyakarta; while its Balinese counterpart is also performed in various Balinese temples throughout the island. The Javanese wayang orang dance-drama took stories from the episodes of Ramayana or Mahabharata Hindu epic. However, the dances are distinct to those of Indian. While hand gestures are still very important, Indonesian dancers do not have the Indian attention to mudra: instead the dances incorporated local forms. Javanese court dances stressed on graceful and slow movements while the dances of Balinese court are more dynamic and very expressive. The Javanese sacred ritual dance of Bedhaya is believed to have its root in 14th century Majapahit court or probably earlier, which originated as ritual dance performed by virgins to worship Indic deities such as Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.

In Bali, dances has become the integral part of Hindu Balinese rituals. Experts believed that balinese dance derived from older dance tradition of Java. Friezes on East Javanese temples built during the 14th century show headdresses almost identical to those still being used for dances in Bali today. These represent a remarkable unbroken continuity of form at least 600 years old. Certain sacred dances are reserved and only performed during certain religious ceremony. Each Balinese dances have special functions, from sacred ritual dances performed only in Balinese temples, dance drama that retold the legends and popular stories, to dance for welcoming guests such as pendet. The topeng dance also popular in Java and Bali, it often took story from Panji tales, originated from 12th century Kediri kingdom. The notable topeng dances are topeng Cirebon dance and topeng Bali dance.


The Islamic Era



Saman Aceh dance performance.

As the new religion of Islam gradually penetrated the region when the native and dharmic dances retained its popularity. Artists and performers would still use the styles of the previous eras, making changes in stories (which took an Islamic turn) and clothing (which became more modest in respect of Islamic teachings). This change is obvious in Tari Persembahan from Jambi. The dancers are still adorned with the intricate gold of the Hindu/Buddhist era but the clothing is more modest.

The new era brought newer styles of dance: Zapin dances of the Malay people and Acehnese Tari Saman adopted dance styles and musics typical of Arabia and Persia, and combined them with indigenous styles to form a newer generation of dance in the era of Islam. The adoption of Persian and Arab musical instruments, such as rebana, tambur, and gendang drums that has become the main instrument in Islamic dances, as well as chant that often quotes Islamic chants.

source : http://wikipedia.com

The Backstreet Boys

  

The Backstreet Boys

The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys (1996). In the following year, they released their second international album, Backstreet's Back (1997) and their debut album in the United States which continued the group's success worldwide. They rose to superstardom with their album Millennium (1999) and its follow-up album, Black & Blue (2000). After a three-year hiatus, the band regrouped and have since released three albums: Never Gone (2005), Unbreakable (2007) and This Is Us (2009).

Richardson left the group in 2006 to pursue other interests, leaving the band as a four-piece,[2] but the remaining members did not rule out a possible return of the singer.[3]

The Backstreet Boys have sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling boy band of all time.[4][5][6] According to Billboard, they are the first group since Sade to have their first seven albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200.[7]

source : wikipedia

Westlife

Westlife

Westlife are an Irish pop group formed on 3 July 1998. The group's original lineup comprised Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan and Brian McFadden (departed from the band in 2004). The group is the only act in British or Irish history to have their first seven singles go straight to Number 1, and they have gone on to sell over 44 million records worldwide which includes their studio, single, video, and compilation albums.Despite the group's worldwide success, they've only had one U.S. hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts: "Swear It Again", which made it to #20 in 2000.






Westlife were originally signed by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. They garnered 14 number one singles in the United Kingdom, the third-highest in UK history, tying with Cliff Richard and trailing behind only Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The group has also broken a few top records, including "Music artist with most consecutive number 1's in the UK". It was officially announced by the Official Charts Company that they are the "2nd biggest selling artist" (trailing behind Robbie Williams) and "Biggest selling band of the decade" (beating Coldplay) in UK with 11 million album sales.[4]

On 1 June 2008, Westlife marked their 10th anniversary with a concert in Croke Park, Dublin which had more than 83,000 fans attending the special occasion. Music Week revealed on their website that Westlife is the official third top touring act within the years 2005–2008, while they were 7th top touring act of 2008.[5] Also in 2008, they were declared as Ireland's ninth-richest celebrities under 30 years old and 13th in general with 36 million euros as a group.[6] In 2009, they dropped as 16th richest Irish with estimated 8 million euros each.[7] They are named as the fourth most hard-working music artist in UK by PRS in 2010.[8]

SMASH

SMASH

SMASH , The New Boy Band of Indonesia is a group of young men who want to share their joy and feelings through music and performance. There is no doubt to say that they are very similar to a Korean boy band called SMASH in which prior exist and famous as well. They both have a same name and also the way they dance.

The new boy band is idolized by many teenage girls in particular who are junior or senior high school, most of their fans are teenagers.

Their first appearance in the Indonesian music industry was begun with their single called "I Heart You". The song describes evidence of love expression for teenage girl. The song was created by Sogi Indradhuaja, Decil Prapanca, Buni D'Looney, and Hendi who took the simple lyrics of the vocabulary teen conversation "this day". Below is a fragment of the lyrics of "I Heart You":

“Kenapa hatiku cenat cenut tiap ada kamu”
You know me so well
“I know you so well”
“Girl i need you, Girl i love you, Girl i heart you”

SMASH (Seven Man As Seven Heroes)

SMASH means Seven Man As Seven Heroes. They are seven young men: Rafael Landry Tanubrata, Rangga Dewamoela Soekarta, Morgan Oey, Dicky Muhammad Prasetya, Bhishma Karisma, M. Reza Anugrah, and M. Ilham Fauzi.

source : http://imroee.blogspot.com

Super Junior's Albums

Super Junior's Albums

2005: SuperJunior05 (TWINS)

Track List :
1. Miracle
2. TWINS (Knock Out)
3. You are the one
4. Rock this house
5. 차근차근 (Way for love)
6. So I
7. OVER
8. Keep in touch
9. L.O.V.E.
10. Believe
11. TWINS (Knock Out)

2007: Don’t Don

Track List :
1. 돈 돈! (Don’t Don)
2. 소원이 있나요 (Sapphire Blue)
3. You’re my endless love (말하자면)
4. 미워 (Hate U, Love U)
5. Disco Drive
6. Marry U
7. I am
8. 사랑이 떠나다 (She’s gone)
9. Missin’
10. 거울 (Mirror)
11. 우리들의 사랑 (Our Love)
12. Midnight Fantasy
13. Thank you
14. 아주 먼 옛날 (Song for you)” (Bonus track)

2009: Sorry, Sorry

Track list :
1. Sorry, Sorry
2. 니가 좋은 이유 (Why I like you)
3. 마주치지 말자 (Let’s not…)
4. 앤젤라 (Angela)
5. Reset
6. Monster
7. What if
8. 이별… 넌 쉽니 (Heartquake)
9. Club No.1
10. Happy Together
11. 죽어있는 것 (Dead at heart)
12. Shining Star

2010: Bonamana

Track List :
1. 미인나 (Bonamana)
2. 나쁜 여자 (Boom Boom)
3. 응결 (Coagulation)
4. 나란 사람 (My Eyes)
5. My Only Girl
6. 사랑이 이렇게 (My All Is In You)
7. Shake It Up!
8. 잠들고 싶어 (In My Dream)
9. 봄날 (One Fine Spring Day)
10. 좋은 사람 (Good Person)
11. Here We Go

Tours
Asia tours
2008–2009: The 1st ASIA TOUR, Super Show
2009–2010: The 2nd ASIA TOUR, Super Show 2

source : koreanboyband.com

Super Junior

Super Junior

Super Junior (슈퍼주니어) is a popular Korean Boyband, and a thirteen member Korean boy band under the SM Entertainment label and production agency. Super Junior is one of the most popular Korean Boyband outside Korea besides Tohoshinki, SS501, or FT Island.

They debuted in 2005 with the single “TWINS (Knock Out)” as a twelve member group but added a thirteenth in May of 2006 with the release of their single U.

Super Junior’s popularity has spread across Asia and they have held concerts in such places as Thailand and Japan. Several of the members had previous jobs as VJs, actors and models previously, which helped to boost the group’s popularity. Super Junior is composed of 12 Korean members and 1 Chinese member.

The members are Leeteuk (the leader), Heechul, Han Geng, Yesung, Kang-in, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kibum, and Kyuhyun. The Chinese member, Han Geng, was chosen among 3,000 applicants through auditions held in China by SM Entertainment in 2001. The group initially debuted with twelve members on November 6, 2005, but since the addition of Kyuhyun in May 23, 2006, they have become a thirteen-member group.

As of 2010, only 10 members are active, due to Han Geng’s ongoing lawsuit against SM Entertainment, Kibum’s pursuit of other interests, and Kang-in’s leave of absence for mandatory military service.

Super Junior Debut and History

Since the late 1990s, Korean talent agency and record label SM Entertainment has been holding annual auditions to scout new talents that complemented the success of pop groups H.O.T, S.E.S, and Shinhwa, all of which were created by SM founder Soo-Man Lee in the mid 1990s. Leeteuk and Eunhyuk were the first two members of the group to be recruited in 2000 under SM’s Starlight Casting System in Seoul.

In 2001, the company held their first overseas casting auditions and discovered Han Geng in Beijing, who was chosen among three thousand applicants. That same year, Yesung was discovered under Seoul’s casting system with his friend HeeChul. Sungmin and Donghae were also selected to be trainees after their appearance in an SM-sponsored contest. In 2002, Heechul and Kangin was recruited along with Kibum, who was discovered in Los Angeles. Siwon was casted in 2003 and Ryeowook in 2004, in which the latter was discovered through the Chinchin Youth Festival singing competition. In 2005, Shindong was selected.

Not long after boy band TVXQ’s debut in 2003, news about Lee’s unprecedented plans of forming another boy band quickly spread on the Internet. In early 2005,Lee confirmed the news and announced that an all-boy project group of twelve members would debut near the end of the year, promoting this singing group to be “The Gateway to Stardom of Asia.” Lee announced that that most members in this group were chosen because of their performing experiences as actors, MCs, models, and radio hosts prior debut. Heechul and Kibum were already established entertainers, and most of the other members had already made various kinds of appearances on television and media. Highly inspired by the rotational concept of Japan’s girl group Morning Musume, this group would also experience line-up changes, with new members replacing some selected members every year to keep the group constantly young and all-rounded. This concept was then newly introduced to the K-pop market.

For a while the group was rumored to be called O.V.E.R, the acronym for “Obey the Voice for Each Rhythm.” However, before the group settled with their current name, SM simply referred to them as Junior, a representation of the members’ young ages when they first became SM trainees. After the members’
showcased their different talents to the company at a picnic, the company finalized their concept name to Super Junior. The group thereafter became officially Super Junior 05, the first generation of Super Junior.

Super Junior 05 made their pre-debut on the Korean channel Mnet on September 11, 2005. At the showcase, they performed various styles of hip hop dancing. The group danced to B2K’s “Take It To The Floor.” Han Geng, Eunhyuk, and Donghae also performed a separate dance away from the group, dancing to Usher’s “Caught Up.” However, the performance did not air on television until May 16, 2006 as a segment in the Super Junior Show, the group’s first television documentary.

Super Junior Sub Unit

Like SS501, Super Junior does also has a Sub Unit.

Super Junior-K.R.Y

Super Junior-K.R.Y, established in November 2006, is a trio formed by Kyuhyun,
Ryeowook, and Yesung. The company discovered that these three members developed a particular personal
and subsequent fan-base that was separate from the rest of the group, and how they also had similar musical qualities.hey therefore grouped these three members together to perform particular songs to target a more mature audience. Being amongst the most vocally powerful members of the group, Super Junior-K.R.Y are credited to singing mournful, R&B-style ballads, a style that has proven very popular in recent years although stagnation in the style’s development is causing it to lose its once fresh evocative power.

Super Junior T

Super Junior-Trot (Korean: 슈퍼주니어-트로트), officially known as Super Junior-T (Korean: 슈퍼주니어-티) is the second official sub-unit of Korean boy band Super Junior.They are the first idol group known for capitalizing trot music, the oldest form of Korean pop music. Super Junior-T contains six Super Junior members, Leeteuk (the leader), Heechul, Kang-in, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk.

Super Junior-T has released only one single in the short span of their career before they were
announced to be on hiatus in 2008. The single “Rokuko” was Korea’s sixteenth best-selling record and
the number one best-selling single of 2007, according to the Music Industry Association of Korea.In November 2008,the subgroup returned with a debut in the Japanese music industry, releasing the Japanese version of “Rokuko.”

Super Junior M

Super Junior-M, often referred to as SJ-M, is the third official sub-unit of Korean boy band Super Junior. They are the first international music group in the Chinese music industry to have members of both Chinese and Korean descent, and are also the first group produced by Korea’s CT (Culture Technology) organization, created through a comprehensive localization strategy.Super Junior-M consists of Super Junior members Han Geng (the leader), Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook,Kyuhyun, and two non-Super Junior members, Henry and Zhou Mi.

Super Junior Happy

Super Junior-Happy (Korean: 슈퍼주니어-해피), sometimes referred to as SJ-Happy or Suju-Happy (Korean: 슈주-해피), is the fourth official sub-unit of Korean boy band Super Junior. Super Junior-Happy contains six Super Junior members, Leeteuk (the leader), Yesung, Kang-in, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk.

Super Junior 4th album Bonamana


Super Junior, a South Korea Boy Band, return in Kpop industry with their most anticipating album “Bonamana 미인아”. Bonamana will be their 4th studio album.

Super Junior released the album with 10 members (originally 13 members) and the album still selling over 36,000 copies on the first day of release.

Single Bonamana is a African Rhythms, which is widely defined to be in a electropop funk style, and a majority of the song is concentrated on autotuned vocals.

This album, which is set to be released on the 13th May, sold 64,800 copies online and 133,685 copies offline for a total of 198,485 copies, showing the magnitude of the interest that fans have generated for this comeback.

Source : www.koreanboyband.com

Wayang Kulit

History of Wayang Kulit

Wayang shadow-puppet (Bali, early 20th century)

Wayang is a generic term denoting traditional theatre in Indonesia. There is no evidence that wayang existed before Hinduism came to Southeast Asiasometime in the first century CE, brought in by Indian traders. However, there very well may have been indigenous storytelling traditions that had a profound impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre. The first record of a wayang performance is from an inscription dated 930 CE which says "si Galigi mawayang," or "Sir Galigi played wayang". From that time till today it seems certain features of traditional puppet theatre have remained. Galigi was an itinerant performer who was requested to perform for a special royal occasion. At that event he performed a story about the hero Bhima from the Mahabharata.

Wayang Kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen.

Wayang Kulit plays are invariably based on romantic tales, especially adaptations of the classic Indian epics, "The Mahabarata" and "The Ramayana". Some of the plays are also based on local happenings (current issues) or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or "Tok Dalang" to decide his direction.

A Dalang performing Wayang Kulit in Java, circa 1890.

The Dalang is the genius behind the entire performance. It is he who sits behind the screen and narrates the story. With a traditional orchestra in the background to provide a resonant melody and its conventional rhythm, the Dalang modulates his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama. Invariably, the play climaxes with the triumph of good over evil.

Hinduism arrived in Indonesia from India even before the Christian era, and was slowly adopted as the local belief system. Sanskrit became the literary and court language of Java and later of Bali. The Hindus changed the Wayang (as did the Muslims, later) to spread their religion, mostly by stories from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana. Later, this mixture of religion and wayang play was praised as harmony between Hinduism and traditional Indonesian culture. On Java, the western part of Sumatra and some smaller islands traditionalists continued to play the old stories for some time, but the influence of Hinduism prevailed and the traditional stories either fell into oblivion or were integrated into the Hinduistic plays.

The figures of the wayang are also present in the paintings of that time, for example, the roof murals of the courtroom in Klungkung, Bali. They are still present in traditional Balinese painting today.

When Islam began spreading in Indonesia, the display of God or gods in human form was prohibited, and thus this style of painting and shadow play was suppressed. King Raden Patah of Demak, Java, wanted to see the wayang in its traditional form, but failed to obtain permission from the Muslim religious leaders. As an alternative, the religious leaders converted thewayang golek into wayang purwa made from leather, and displayed only the shadow instead of the figures itself.^{[citation needed]} Instead of the forbidden figures only their shadow picture was displayed, the birth of the wayang kulit.^{[citation needed]}

The figures are painted, flat woodcarvings (a maximum of 5 to 15 mm thick—barely half an inch) with movable arms. The head is solidly attached to the body. Wayang klitik can be used to perform puppet plays either during the day or at night. This type of wayang is relatively rare.

Wayang today is both the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theatre in the world. Hundreds of people will stay up all night long to watch the superstar performers, dalang, who command extravagant fees and are international celebrities. Some of the most famous dalang in recent history are Ki Nartosabdho, Ki Anom Suroto, Ki Asep Sunarya, Ki Sugino, and Ki Manteb Sudarsono.

[edit]Wayang kulit

Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) in Wayang Purwa type, depicting five Pandava, from left to right: Bhima, Arjuna,Yudhishtira, Nakula, and Sahadeva, Indonesia Museum, Jakarta.

Wayang kulit, shadow puppets prevalent in Java and Bali in Indonesia, are without a doubt the best known of the Indonesianwayang. Kulit means skin, and refers to the leather construction of the puppets that are carefully chiselled with very fine tools and supported with carefully shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods.

The stories are usually drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or the Serat Menak.

There is a family of characters in Javanese wayang called Punakawan; they are sometimes referred to as "clown-servants" because they normally are associated with the story's hero, and provide humorous and philosophical interludes. Semar is the father of Gareng (oldest son), Petruk, and Bagong (youngest son). These characters did not originate in the Hindu epics, but were added later, possibly to introduce mystical aspects of Islam into the Hindu-Javanese stories. They provide something akin to a political cabaret, dealing with gossip and contemporary affairs.

The puppet figures themselves vary from place to place. In Central Java the city of Surakarta (Solo) is most famous and is the most commonly imitated style of puppets. Regional styles of shadow puppets can also be found in West Java, Banyumas,Cirebon, Semarang, and East Java. Bali produces more compact and naturalistic figures, and Lombok has figures representing real people. Often modern-world objects as bicycles, automobiles, airplanes and ships will be added for comic effect, but for the most part the traditional puppet designs have changed little in the last 300 years.

Wayang kulit as seen from the shadow side

Historically, the performance consisted of shadows cast on a cotton screen and an oil lamp. Today, the source of light used in wayang performance in Java is most often a halogen electric light. Some modern forms of wayang such as Wayang Sandosa created in the Art Academy at Surakarta (STSI)has employed spotlights, colored lights and other innovations.

The handwork involved in making a wayang kulit figure that is suitable for a performance takes several weeks, with the artists working together in groups. They start from master models (typically on paper) which are traced out onto kulit (skin or parchment), providing the figures with an outline and with indications of any holes that will need to be cut (such as for the mouth or eyes). The figures are then smoothed, usually with a glass bottle, and primed. The structure is inspected and eventually the details are worked through. A further smoothing follows before individual painting, which is undertaken by yet another craftsman. Finally, the movable parts (upper arms, lower arms with hands and the associated sticks for manipulation) mounted on the body, which has a central staff by which it is held. A crew makes up to ten figures at a time, typically completing that number over the course of a week.

The painting of less expensive puppets is handled expediently with a spray technique, using templates, and with a different person handling each color. Less expensive puppets, often sold to children during performances, are sometimes made on cardboard instead of leather.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayang