Didik Hadiprayitno (born 13 November 1954), born Kwee Tjoen An, better known by his stage nameDidik Nini Thowok, is a Javanese dancer who always impersonates women during his performances of traditional Javanese dance and Balinese dance. As he has studied dance in several countries, including Indonesia, India, Japan, and Spain, he often incorporates styles from many cultures in his dances.[1] He is of mixed Chinese-Javanese descent.
Kwee Tjoen An[1] was born in Temanggung Regency, Central Java, the only son and one of five children of a Chinese Indonesian father in the leather business and a Javanese mother. His Chinese side of family had lived in Java for many generations. His paternal grandfather went to Chinese temples, his paternal grandmother was a Christian, and his mother was originally a Muslim. Kwee Tjoen An was always raised a Christian. While in elementary school, like many other ethnic Chinese who changed their names during the Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66, he changed his name to Didik Hadiprayitno in 1965.[2]
Didik Hadiprayitno began dancing in elementary school. He studied the ketoprak theatre, and his teacher encouraged him to perform female roles. His first public performance was in his village when he was a secondary school student.[2]
Training
Didik Hadiprayitno enrolled in Akademi Seni Tari Indonesia (ASTI, Indonesian Academy of Dance) in 1970. One contemporary dance he performed there was Nini Thowok, based on an old children's game, so he adopted Didik Nini Thowok as his stage name after he graduated in 1974. In 1979, he studied the Cirebon mask dance with Ibu Sudji in Cirebon, West Java.[2] This was the first and the most important training outside of Central Java according to him.[1] Later he studied from many traditional masters in Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Malang, Bali, West Java, and beyond. In Bali, he studied Balinese dance with I. G. A. Ngurah Supartha. He also went to Japan and studied the buyō and noh dance, but he wasn't allowed to study kabuki due to strong inclusion rules. Other dances he learned included the bharatanatyam in India and the flamenco in Spain.[2] What separates him from other dancers is that he studied all dances seriously, by being deferential to his teachers and accepting other cultures wholeheartedly.[1]
Styles
Didik Nini Thowok's most famous dance is the Dwimuka (two face) dance, where he wears one mask worn on the back of his head, and usually another on the front. He dances with his back to the audience, leading them to believe that it was his front. This dance always elicits shock and laughter when the audience discover the truth. In Tari Tengkorak (Skull/skeleton dance), his black costume painted in fluorescent paint appears like a skeleton in ultraviolet light.[1]
Filmography
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2009
Preman in Love
Jagad X Code
2016
Wonderful Life
References
^ abcdeMrázek, Jan (June 2005). "Masks and Selves in Contemporary Java: The Dances of Didik Nini Thowok". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 36 (2): 249–279. doi:10.1017/S0022463405000160. JSTOR 20072647. S2CID 145708704.
^ abcdRoss, Laurie Margot (Fall 2005). "Mask, Gender, and Performance in Indonesia: An Interview with Didik Nini Thowok" (PDF). Asian Theatre Journal. 22 (2): 214–226. doi:10.1353/atj.2005.0033. S2CID 162272576.
"Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Event: Didik Nini Thowok". University of Washington. November 2014.
Ulung, A. Kurniawan (2018-11-29). "The many sides of Didik Nini Thowok". The Jakarta Post.
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didik, nini, thowok, didik, hadiprayitno, born, november, 1954, born, kwee, tjoen, better, known, stage, name, javanese, dancer, always, impersonates, women, during, performances, traditional, javanese, dance, balinese, dance, studied, dance, several, countrie. Didik Hadiprayitno born 13 November 1954 born Kwee Tjoen An better known by his stage name Didik Nini Thowok is a Javanese dancer who always impersonates women during his performances of traditional Javanese dance and Balinese dance As he has studied dance in several countries including Indonesia India Japan and Spain he often incorporates styles from many cultures in his dances 1 He is of mixed Chinese Javanese descent Didik Nini ThowokBornKwee Tjoen An 1954 11 13 November 13 1954 age 68 Temanggung Regency Central Java IndonesiaOther namesDidik HadiprayitnoKwee Tjoen LianKwee Cun AnOccupation s Dancer choreographer comedian singer actorChinese nameChinese郭俊安TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinGuō Jun anSouthern MinHokkien POJKoeh Chun An Contents 1 Early life 2 Training 3 Styles 4 Filmography 5 ReferencesEarly life EditKwee Tjoen An 1 was born in Temanggung Regency Central Java the only son and one of five children of a Chinese Indonesian father in the leather business and a Javanese mother His Chinese side of family had lived in Java for many generations His paternal grandfather went to Chinese temples his paternal grandmother was a Christian and his mother was originally a Muslim Kwee Tjoen An was always raised a Christian While in elementary school like many other ethnic Chinese who changed their names during the Indonesian mass killings of 1965 66 he changed his name to Didik Hadiprayitno in 1965 2 Didik Hadiprayitno began dancing in elementary school He studied the ketoprak theatre and his teacher encouraged him to perform female roles His first public performance was in his village when he was a secondary school student 2 Training EditDidik Hadiprayitno enrolled in Akademi Seni Tari Indonesia ASTI Indonesian Academy of Dance in 1970 One contemporary dance he performed there was Nini Thowok based on an old children s game so he adopted Didik Nini Thowok as his stage name after he graduated in 1974 In 1979 he studied the Cirebon mask dance with Ibu Sudji in Cirebon West Java 2 This was the first and the most important training outside of Central Java according to him 1 Later he studied from many traditional masters in Yogyakarta Surakarta Malang Bali West Java and beyond In Bali he studied Balinese dance with I G A Ngurah Supartha He also went to Japan and studied the buyō and noh dance but he wasn t allowed to study kabuki due to strong inclusion rules Other dances he learned included the bharatanatyam in India and the flamenco in Spain 2 What separates him from other dancers is that he studied all dances seriously by being deferential to his teachers and accepting other cultures wholeheartedly 1 Styles EditDidik Nini Thowok s most famous dance is the Dwimuka two face dance where he wears one mask worn on the back of his head and usually another on the front He dances with his back to the audience leading them to believe that it was his front This dance always elicits shock and laughter when the audience discover the truth In Tari Tengkorak Skull skeleton dance his black costume painted in fluorescent paint appears like a skeleton in ultraviolet light 1 Filmography EditYear Title Role Notes2009 Preman in LoveJagad X Code2016 Wonderful LifeReferences Edit a b c d e Mrazek Jan June 2005 Masks and Selves in Contemporary Java The Dances of Didik Nini Thowok Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 36 2 249 279 doi 10 1017 S0022463405000160 JSTOR 20072647 S2CID 145708704 a b c d Ross Laurie Margot Fall 2005 Mask Gender and Performance in Indonesia An Interview with Didik Nini Thowok PDF Asian Theatre Journal 22 2 214 226 doi 10 1353 atj 2005 0033 S2CID 162272576 Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Event Didik Nini Thowok University of Washington November 2014 Ulung A Kurniawan 2018 11 29 The many sides of Didik Nini Thowok The Jakarta Post This Indonesian biographical article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Didik Nini Thowok amp oldid 1154178096, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
