The Street Musician

Sitting on her knees, a middle-aged woman in her kebaya swiftly plucked the strings of siter (Javanese harp)on her lap and singing traditional Javanese songs. From table to table patiently, she approached guests expecting money as a form of appreciation. Thus how Sawitri (62) lives his daily life as a street musician.

Her figure is not the only artist who live her life from art in the streets, especially in Jakarta. Some other performing arts fields such as Kuda Lumping (Javanese Traditional Dance depicting a horsemen), Ondel-ondel (Large Betawi Pupet Figure), Kecapi Music (traditional javanese harp), Angklungan (Bamboo Traditional musical Instrument) and others, also complete the social face of the capital city. With their limited educational background and skills, they are able to pack local wisdom in street art while expecting improved living standards.

Before being known as street musicians, these artists made a living by farming, trading, and relying on performing calls, for traditional event such harvest, weddings, and other celebration events. However, by the time, the attraction of dangdut music and single orgens began to take the public's attention so that the demand for traditional performance was reduced.

No doubt, this situation leads to the fate of those who are forced to take to the streets to sing, in order tofullfil their needs. "If there is a celebration I’ll join, if there is no celebration I’ll go to Jakarta to find money," said Sarmin (30), one of the Kuda Lumping Dancers. Along with the dynamics of the activists and the economic insistence that, making those sacred value of traditional art performance, slowly turned into profane.

Concidering the cultural value they bring to sociaty, indirectly they are showing the identity of Indonesian art . These cultural-based artist, present as if to neutralize the stigma amongt society that street musician are a disturber, by bringing the quality on their performance.

They introduce the diversity of Indonesian art through creativity, which they do also for make living. by making the streets as their stage, these artists as if narrate their hope to the government for facilitate the traditional arts that exist. To remain sustainable and certainly detached from the negative stigma as street singers is a disturbance of order.

Sawitri (62) is a Siter artist (Java harp) from Semarang, Central Java. In 1990 he was one of the personnel of the traditional music group of Java (Campur Sari) named "Marsudi Iromo" led by her husband, Yulianto. In their heyday they performed regularly in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and performed at a big event. After the 1998 economic crisis, one by one members of their group left the group to find a better job. Since then, based on his passion for the uniqueness of the Siter and his desire to maintain hes ability in playing this instrument, she decides to explore the streets of the capital as a street musician.

Parta Wirangko (60), founder and leader of art group Lengger Banyumasan since 1978 named "Margo Budoyo". When performing, he chooses to play the character as "badutan" (the clawn), which can appear in various character costumes that are familiar to the community such as Punakawan (Traditional Puppet Shaddow character), gerandong, etc. During the event, the clown plays a role to maintain the flow of the show and entertain the audience in order not to get bored.

Even though the group already fammous with highly payment, when they lacking of request to perform , Wirangko chose to go to Jakarta with his passion to keep the art of performance, while looking for additional income for s family.

(left) Sarmin (30), Learning the art of Kuda Lumping from his family environment, he actively participated various types of traditional art Banyumasan by joining a number of arts groups to perform on the traditional event, ranging from angklung to lumping horse dance in his native region Cilacap, Central Java. At the time of the lack of public demand for art entertainment services, Sarmin decide to bring his wife Suprihatin (30) and his son Dwi (5) to performing Kuda Lumping art dance in the streets of the Capital City while waiting for a call to perform with his group on a celebration in his village.

(third from right) Kamal (29), leader of the Ondel-ondel (Giant Betawi traditional puppet) group"Zein Entertaiment". As the native of Betawi clan, he continued his Father's ondel-ondel entertaiment business since the 1980s. He inherited the knowledge and spirit of his father to develop Betawi arts in the community. In the beginning, the activities of travel and perform at public and residential areas are to train the group member to get used to carry ondel-ondel burden and to be more adept at playing music while walking. Unexpectedly this practice is welcomed by the citizens, even giving them the opportunity to earn additional income