Main Gedhe 2013 : Different Way to Deliver Issues by Traditional Performance

By Medhira Handinidevi

Editor Medhira Handinidevi

BANDUNG,itb.ac.id- Main Gedhe is an event presented by Paguyuban Seni dan Budaya Jawa Timur or well known as Loedroek ITB. On Sunday (01/12/13), the show which includes traditional dance and drama performance from East Java Province was held from 8-11 pm in West Hall, ITB. The crews who provide technical thing on this event comes from ITB Loedroek's member batch 2012 who just officially became the member of Loedroek ITB.
In every shows, Main Gedhe always has an actual issues or topics which will be delivered to the audience.  In this year's show, Main Gedhe was trying to deliver either national issues or campus'  issues with different approach. Now, the way is drama from East Java Province, added by comedy and jokes so the audience can receive the message easily. "The aim of this event is to make young generation aware about issues that happened in our country but in an interesting way", said Danang (Oceanography 2011), The Chairman of Loedroek ITB 2012-2013.

The theme of Main Gedhe 2013 is "Kemelut Majapahit-Intrik Tenun Balasan (KM-ITB)". This issue was told by "pewayangan" performance which explains about one of the God named Dewa Ruci. The message was a reminder for a person who has gotten so much knowledge, for example ITB students, to not only have the obligation to share the knowledge that they gain but also become a solution towards many problems in our country. "The quip of Main Gedhe is intellegent and exactly straight to the point," explained Raka (Chemical Engineering 2010). This was in line with the aim of Main Gedhe 2013, which is to give ITB Students a light innuendo about themselves who has been individualist  and did not aware of the issues that happened all around us.

The Uniqueness of Main Gedhe
Main Gedhe is a routine event of Loedroek ITB which show not only a drama and a dance art but also kidungan. Names of the traditional dance which have been performed was Remo dance. Remo dance is a traditional dance originally performed by men who didn't join the war in Majapahit period. Kidungan is a traditional song or poem from East Java Province which contain some advice for human being. All performances in Main Gedhe was delivered in Bahasa, and all woman is prohibited to be a performer in this show. Women can participate just as a music player. "This is the differences between Main Gedhe and the other East Java Province show, we use Bahasa because our target is not only just ITB student who comes from East Java but also all of ITB student and we give high respect to woman, we don't want to use woman as an object of joke in this show," closed Danang.

By : Bangkit Dana Setiawan, ITB Journalist Apprentice 2013