Creating the Five-minute ‘Moderen’ Ramayana in an Indonesian Migrant Community

Abstract

This paper explores forms of creativity that arise out of the intersubjective experience of a performance of the Hindu epic Ramayana in the context of an Indonesian migrant community in Perth, Western Australia. Three performances are discussed, illustrating a variety of differences between the aims and experiences of the performers and the reactions of their multiple audiences, including the Balinese community members as cultural ‘insiders’ and the Australian audiences approaching the Ramayana as an exotic spectacle. The article follows an attempt by an Indonesian migrant women's dance group (Srikandi) to recreate the Ramayana performance, guided by a five-minute Brazilian fusion soundtrack of Balinese ‘Kecak’ found in Holland. The Ramayana characters were realised according to the dance backgrounds of the performers that included Javanese, Balinese and international belly-dancing styles. Srikandi presented an advertised ‘exotic’ Ramayana dance drama for an Australian audience who were conceptualised by the dancers as potential tourists to Bali. However, the Balinese community believed Srikandi's five-minute performance made a mockery of the importance of Ramayana in their Hindu ritual. Drawing on the various relationships between performers and audiences, this article illuminates the complex ways in which creativity arises from contested experiences within a migrant setting that comprises people from diverse backgrounds and lifestyles.