Cirebon

Masks From Cirebon

Topeng(Mask) Panji          Topeng Rumyang

Topeng Samba                       Topeng Tumenggung
Topeng Kelana

Dedi Sambudi (53 years old) from Gegesik – Cirebon – The Mask Maker







Aerli Rasinah: The new face of the Cirebon mask dance
| Sun, 06/29/2008 10:56 AM | Life


Mimi Rasinah’s granddaughter Aerli Rasinah (right) prays at Sunan Gunung Jati’s tomb with her mother. Aerli has been given the responsibility to preserve the Cirebon mask dance. (Courtesy of Kamabudaya)
Wearing the red mask of Kelana, a character from the traditional Cirebon mask dance, 22-year-old Aerli Rasinah danced vigorously on stage. Stamping her foot and moving her shoulders and hands in time to the percussion, she looked like a brave warrior from a wayang story.
The granddaughter of maestro mask dancer, Mimi Rasinah, 78, had just received the mandate to continue the Cirebon mask dance tradition from Mimi herself.
On stage, in the courtyard of the 16th century Cirebon founder and Islam propagator Sunan Gunung Jati, witnessed by her pupils and hundreds in the audience, Rasinah bestowed her five masks and her blessings to Aerli.
Being born into a family of dancers, Aerli has taken on the great responsibility to preserve the tradition of dance.
“It’s a heavy task. But I’ll try my best,” she said on the back stage, wiping off her sweat after dancing.
Rasinah inherited the skill to dance from her father Lastra. In 2005, she suffered a stroke and is now paralyzed on the left side of her body. She passed on the skills to her daughter and grandchildren.
“This will be my legacy before I die,” Mimi said.
Aerli’s mother, Waci, who has also mastered the Cirebon mask dance, said the family chose Aerli to take on Mimi Rasinah’s responsibilities because Aerli was still young and had lots of time to develop the tradition in the future.
Mimi Rasinah gives her blessing to Aerli Rasinah to continue the tradition of the Cirebon mask dance. (Courtesy of Kamabudaya)
Dancing maestro Mimi Rasinah dead at 80
Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon | Sun, 08/08/2010 5:35 PM | Headlines


Mimi Rasinah (Kompas.com)
Cirebon mask dance maestro Mimi Rasinah died Saturday after suffering a stroke. She was 80.
Hundreds of traditional dancers and pilgrims paid their last respects to the late Mimi at her funeral at Ciweni hamlet public cemetery in Pekandangan village, Indramayu, West Java, on Sunday afternoon.
Many visitors brought to the funeral masks worn by Mimi throughout her career.
Rasinah’s granddaughter Aerli Rasinah, 24, said Mimi passed away at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Indramayu General Hospital.
“When we admitted her to the hospital, she was in a very poor condition. Mimi was treated for about five minutes before she passed away,” she added.


CIREBON, 17/10 – ITS MASK FESTIVAL 2010. Dancers bring Mask Dance, Dance Single or Ngedok from Jakarta in the evening peak Mask Festival Nusantara 2010, in Cirebon, West Java, on Saturday (16/10). Mask Festival 2010 Nusantara function saw the presence and position of the archipelago in the constellation of art mask Indonesian arts and culture. AFP PHOTO / Rosa Panggabean/ed/pd/10.