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Islamic Periode

In the five hundred years from tile beginning of the Kediri period to the end of the Majapahit, it is obviouis that dancing developed well and very rapidly in Java. The dance however, was still restricted to 'the court of the king and the mansion of the nobility, which left its mark upon their character and nature. This does not mean, however,, that the common people did not have any dancing; go doubt they possesed folk dances but these would not have such high levels in aesthetic values and development as the court-dances.

listen to teachings if Islam, similarly the gamelan ,the Javanese music was used to get people to assemble for tile same purpose.
Evidence about dancing from the Islamic period of java can be found only in the babads (Javanese chronicles). The babads often mentioned that when it king went to the audience-hall he was accompanied by manggungs, bedayas and srimpis. Manggungs are women of the court who bear the ceremonial appurtenances, so are bedayas; but bedayas and srimpis are also court dancers who entertain the king. Apart from dance performances by these bodayas and srimpis the babad also mention other performances called beksan and wireng, Beksan and wireng are names of dance compositions describing the prowess of warrior or hero, or portraying a fight between one warrior and another. In addition to the practice in the tayub dance of the Mataram kingdom, dancing for men was also a favourite entertainment among the nobility.

The development of dancing in Central Java in the Islamic period, seems to have been rapid during the reign of the greatest king of Mataram, Sultan Agung (1613-1645). at which time Mataram was one of the greatest kingdoms in Indonesia. Sultan Agung succeeded in uniting Central and East Java and even established a family bond with West Java by marrying the princess of Cirebon. This relationship provided the opportunity for the culture of Mataram, including its dancing to 'exert an influence upon that of Cirebon.

One achievement by Sultan Agung in the field of dancing is his composition for women called Bedaya Ketawang. This dance is performed by nine bedaya dancers and describes the sacred meeting between Sultan Agung and Ratu. Rara Kidul (the Queen of the South Sea). Apart from its refinement and high aesthetic value this dance incorporates some mythical and sacral elements. Bedaya Ketawang became a holy dance, passed from one generation to the next by the kings of Surakarta, and performed only on special occasions for instance at the coronation of a new king. Bedaya Ketawang has been. well preserved and today, as a means of maintaining its preservation, it is danced one every 35 days on Selasa Kliwon, when Tuesday (Selasa) of the modern calender coincide with Kliwon of the Javanese 5-day week. In Yogyakarta this sacred bedaya is called Bedaya Semang.
As to the development of dancing in the Mataram kingdom, records were left by a Dutchman who visited the king five time in the middle of the 17th century. This man, Rijklof van Goens, was. a delegate of the East India Company and declared in his written
report that Susuhunan Mangkurat I (the successor of Sultan Agung) held a dancing performance at each Seton celebration every Saturday, such as bedaya, srimpi, beksan, wireng and badut. Badut was a. comedy performance where the dancer wore an animal mask.

More evidence as to speedly development of dancing in Mataram is found in Babad Giyanti, which tells us about the division of Mataram into two kingdoms, those of Surakarta and Yogyakarta. The Babad Giyanti reports, that the regent of Panaraga had seven sets of bedayas, which means that he maintained seven times nine or sixty-three woman dancers. Thus, dancing in Central Java displays considerable development in the Islamic period but still maintains its feudal character.
With this development and the higher quality there appeared a style of dancing with its own features and characteristics, the Central Java style, more frequently called the Java style.
Meanwhile, West Java, with centres of development of dancing in the kingdoms of Banten and of Cirebon, created a style of its

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