Every Sunday, at around 08.30 WIB at the Saka Wetan Kiprah Studio, Krajan Hamlet, Kesilir Village RT 05 RW 01, Avied Sanjaya turns his yard into a reog practice place for children.

For the past three months, dozens of boys and girls from kindergarten to elementary school have been practicing reog and a number of East Javanese arts there.

Haryo Pamungkas and Sonia Nurdiansa from Imaji Sociopreneur had the opportunity to chat with Avied, the 4th generation studio manager when they visited his house on Sunday, September 26, 2021.

Accompanied by reog music playing and the laughter of children practicing, we chatted at length about the history of the studio, his efforts to instill the values ​​of the reog tradition in children, until his concern over finding the value of the reog tradition began to shift.

What is the history of this reog studio, Mas?

I just founded the Gait Saka Wetan studio in 2019. This studio is still under the Singo Mudo studio community which is managed by my Pakdhe. Regarding the history of the studio, I can only tell you that it was my Mbah Buyut who started it.

When was that, sir?

I don't know the exact year, but before independence, my Mbah Buyut joined the transmigration from Ponorogo to Jember to become a bako (tobacco) worker. Incidentally, transmigrants from Ponorogo usually gather in one particular area.

So from there, Mbah Buyut invited people to do reog art. For entertainment. Then they walked until the Singo Mudo community was formed, which was managed by Pakdhe I. Art activities had stopped during the G30S incident, all of the reog was burned. After that live again around the year 65/66 until now.

From just 'entertainment' it developed into a marker of the identity of the Ponorogo people in South Jember, Mas?

Maybe you could say so. Indeed, in the southern region, the majority are inhabited by Javanese people, while in the north the majority are Madurese. Maybe that's what makes reog accepted and developed here.

Yes, because the majority of the people are Ponorogo people and other areas in the interior of Java. Until then, it can be seen from the Akas bus line. In the terminal (Tawang Alun) there is not even a direct route to Jember-Ponorogo, but for Ambulu-Ponorogo there is one. This means that the majority of Ponorogo people who transmigrated to Jember gathered here. Including the artists.

“The South Jember area is indeed dominated by people from Ponorogo and other inland Java. It can be seen, for example, from the Akas bus line. At the Tawang Alun terminal there is no Akas bus with a direct route to Jember-Ponorogo, but here there is a direct Ambulu-Ponorogo route."

Wow… that means you could say that in South Jember, there are many traditional art artists, right, Mas?

Wow, it sucks, Mas. In South Jember, there are actually a lot of artists, there are ludruk players, wayang drums, wayang gamelan, tiyang-tiyang elder niku very much. They were once the top people in the arts.

But it's a shame it wasn't embraced too much, after the response, that's it, just like that… I once initiated to create a kind of gathering forum for these elderly people. And the response was very good. If there was a special kind of appreciation for the old tiyangs, it would actually be interesting. Wes mboten doesn't have to think about money (yes, there's no need to think about money), the elderly tiyang-tiyang Niku just wants to be a place to express their art.

When it comes to special reog training for children, when did it start, Mas?

As for the special ones, it's only been three months since kindergarten-elementary school, Mas. Previously it was more to teenagers. On Saturday night the adults practice, now on Sunday from morning until noon the children.

I think this is very interesting, Mas, so at the same time introducing and preserving the traditional art of reog to children…

At first it was just for fun, Mas. When I installed WiFi, how come many children like to play at home. I keep thinking, if it's just playing or getting together without positive activities, friends. Yes, it is calculated to introduce and preserve the art of reog. But, actually that's not all, through traditional arts, there are many values ​​that influence the formation of character for children.

Wow, that means there's a difference, right, Mas, children who know and explore traditional arts since childhood and those who don't?

Very obvious, Mr. How they will socialize in society, manners to parents, also from the level of self-confidence. From there you can see. Reog is also not just a movement, there are values ​​and feelings there.

That will help shape the children. In order to ensure that the values ​​are instilled, usually once every three months I go to the children's parents' house. Just to ask, there is something different from before and after the reog practice. For example, starting to use boso (subtle manners) when communicating with parents.

"Reog is not just a movement, there is an instillation of traditional values ​​and taste in it."

Are there not, Mas, parents who actually respond less well when their children participate in training?

Obviously there is, Mas, this is another big challenge for me going forward. The stigma of traditional art, especially reog, has been misunderstood by the majority of the people. First, they thought that reog was so mystical. Enter the genie while performing. Wow, this is clearly wrong, there's actually nothing like reog like that, please check it out or see on YouTube there's nothing like reog Ponorogo.

I've never been here, Mas, when the audience cheered, why didn't I? Yo didn't answer, no, no, no devil, no gelem mlebu. It's this kind of thinking that I'm slowly trying to change.

This also happened when I wanted to do a reog extracurricular at a high school in Ambulu. Wow, that's really hard to convince the teachers. They think that the performers of the reog tradition are very serious people, who have a grudge, and so on.

Even though this is wrong, I myself don't really agree with the cold habit of some reog actors. If the audience sees it, there is a small child who also sees this who can make wrong assumptions about the traditional art of reog. After all, if it's a real artist, drinking before a performance actually makes the dodo koyo arep dislodged.

If there are various versions of reog itself, right, Mas? What's different about reog in Jember and in Ponorogo?

Yes, at first the reog version that appeared was heirloom reog. But because then the orientation shifted slightly, later the Reog Obyog version appeared. This is entertainment orientation. So now, the majority of reog obyog is developing in Indonesia.

Reog obyog is also more universal, can be enjoyed by young and old because it emphasizes styles and mixes. There is also a festival model reog, this is usually made into a competition. More emphasis on the story, now it might be a kind of dance drama.

If reog in each region does have its own characteristics. But, everywhere reog, yes Ponorogo. The substance is the same, if there is something different it might be in the creation. For example, there are reog typical of Jakarta's, Madiun's. If in Jember itself, usually the property is bigger than the original Ponorogo. Also, those that develop in the North Jember area usually tend to be more attractive.

In 2004, the Department of Law and Human Rights granted the Ponorogo Reog copyright to the Ponorogo district government.

Our conversation lasted for over an hour. There were many lessons that we learned during our visit to the Kiprah Saka Wetan studio. In the future, collaborating with Gait Saka Wetan, Imaji Sociopreneur is determined to contribute to instilling values ​​and shaping children's character through traditional arts. This is in line with the 'Imaji Academy' program in ALP Village 2021, namely character education for children. (*)