More than 25 students and faculty gathered in silent awe at the performance happening in front of them in the Montgomery Music Hall on Monday night. They listened intently to the strong voice that rang out, no background music and watched the slow, rhythmic movements to accompany the song. They were captivated by what was happening before them, sitting so silent and still that a pin could be heard to drop. Once the dance ended, the performer broke into nervous giggles and a smile.
Students and staff were witnessing the performance of Peni Candra Rini, a Javanese renowned performer, composer and faculty member at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Surakarta, Java. Rini came to Allegheny as a guest artist hosting two workshop events. On Monday night, participants learned the art of Javanese dance and culture. The following Tuesday night, they had the opportunity to play Gamelan, a traditional Indonesian percussion ensemble. After each night, participants were encouraged to grab a Javanese snack.
The workshops served as the introduction to the one-credit opportunity for students to join the Gamelan ensemble this semester.
Rini’s guest appearance at the college was brought on quickly in the one week that Assistant Professor of Music Hannah Standiford had been at Allegheny.
“She’s a world class performer and composer,” Standiford said. “I thought to myself, on the one hand, we don’t even know what Gamelan is yet, is this the time to bring Peni in or later after people have some experience first? But it’s also like, what an introduction!”
Standiford and Rini met when the former was studying music in Indonesia in 2014. When Standiford went back to Indonesia in 2017, Rini served as her Fulbright sponsor. The Fulbright program is an international cultural exchange program that sends 800 U.S. Scholars abroad a year for research opportunities, shared community and innovative ideas.
As for the workshops, Standiford says it was a rather ambitious project to get off the ground so quickly, but it was the only time that Rini was available to come, as she is being hosted for the month at the University of Richmond.
While teaching the audience members the skills of dance, Rini also shared a little bit about herself and Javanese culture in order for people to get a deeper understanding of what it was that they learned, and to be able to share that knowledge with others. For instance, Rini explained that although she was raised Hindu, Indonesia is primarily Muslim, though central Java has many religions.
The 10-minute dance that Rini performed was a variation of a much longer, 30-minute composition. The dance is also very traditional, but she wrote it in a new form. Rini also explained before the dance that there are three types of Javanese dance: when the dancer comes into the palace, the main part inside the palace, and when the dancer comes out of the palace. The Javanese palaces hold a lot of spiritual power and respect, Rini said.
“I gave a short version of the piece in the first workshop,” Rini said. “The dance is inspired by the Goddess of the rice. It is a manifestation of the Javanese women and how they move.”
In one variation of the dance, it is performed as a group dance with seven dancers — the number of the goddess. During the workshop, Rini explained the finite hand movements throughout the dance that represented things people prayed to the goddess for, such as love.
The second night more than 35 people attended the Gamelan workshop. The Gamelan played was actually a small part of a much larger set. The event was open to all to participate, regardless if they had any musical experience whatsoever.
“It’s very different from other ensembles because you need to audition for a choir or band,” Standiford said. “You’re not going to go and join the band if you’ve never played trombone before, but no one in Crawford County has played Gamelan before. We’re all starting from scratch and building up from there”
One student, Teag Cloonan, ’28, attended the event as a requirement for his World Music class.
“It was mandatory, but I don’t regret going to it,” Cloonan said. “I like all the different instruments that you can play, I thought they were all unique. That’s not something you get to see in America. It’s definitely a rare experience that we don’t get to do everyday.”
Cloonan also expressed his appreciation for the level of teamwork that went into playing Gamelan. Rini herself said that it was about listening to your fellow players, and being in tune with them.
While Rini was in town, she shared the art of Javanese dance and culture, and taught the skills of Gamelan. “I’m so happy to see the energy from people here —students and faculty — and to welcome this Javanese culture and play here,” Rini said.
Next, she is off to a number of tours and performances, such as a performance at the Roulette Intermedium in New York, and a festival in Richmond, Virginia.
“Peni Candra Rini is an extremely good musician,” Cloonan said. “And that was only a tiny little bit of what she can do.