I La Galigo is music-theater work by Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson (director)

Robert Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright who has been called "[America]'s — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist'". Over the course of his wide-ranging career, he has also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video...

 that has been shown since 2004 in Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is based on an adaption by Rhoda Grauer of the epic creation myth Sureq Galigo

Sureq Galigo

Sureq Galigo or La Galigo is an epic creation myth of the Bugis from South Sulawesi, written between the 13th and 15th century in the Indonesian language Buginese...

 of the Bugis

Bugis

The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...

 from South Sulawesi

South Sulawesi

South Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia, located on the western southern peninsula of Sulawesi Island. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi province to the north, South East Sulawesi province to the east and West Sulawesi province to the west...

, written between the 13th and 15th century in the Indonesian language Buginese

Buginese language

Buginese is the language spoken by about four million people mainly in the southern part of Sulawesi, Indonesia.-History:The word Buginese derives from the word Bahasa Bugis in Malay. In Buginese, it is called while the Bugis people are called...

.

Plot summary

Out of the vast material in Sureq Galigo, that covers the story of a so-called Middle World (that of humanity), the drama focuses on one particular narrative thread, about the warrior Sawerigading, and his twin sister, We Tenriabeng. They are descendants of the gods of the heavens and the gods of the underworld who send their offspring to inhabit the earth. From the time in the womb of their mother, which is put onto stage, they are destined to fall in love with each other. Worried that their incest would doom the world, the Bissu priests order them to be separated at birth. Sawerigading travels abroad but is eventually told about the world's most beautiful woman. He returns home and actually falls in love with his twin sister. To avoid the worst, We Tenriabeng introduces him to a woman of equal beauty, whom he marries to have a son named I La Galigo. Nevertheless, the earth is cleansed of all life another time and their children mate again to repopulate it and start a new era.

Production

While parts of the story are narrated, the actors are not speaking but expressing themselves through dance and gestures. The three hour long performance is accompanied extensively by light effects characteristic for Wilson's work and music by an onstage ensemble. Their music sounds traditional, but has actually been composed for the production by the Java

Java

Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...

nese composer Rahayu Supanggah

Rahayu Supanggah

Rahayu Supanggah is an Indonesian composer of more than 100 pieces, known mostly for his part in the international collaboration Realizing Rama and the music score composed for Robert Wilson's I La Galigo. His compositions for Opera Jawa won the Asian Film Award in 2007. Since 2007 he is resident...

 after intensive research in South Sulawesi. For better dramatic expression, other Javanese and Balinese instruments were added to the initially five traditional Sulawesi instruments and new ones were made as well, amounting eventually to 70 instruments played by 12 musicians.

Cast

The production cast consists of 53 musicians and dancers, exclusively from Indonesia and mostly from Sulawesi, as well as one of the few remaining bissu

Bissu

The Bugis people of Indonesia divide their society into five separate genders. Two are analogous to male and female, and the remaining three are not easily comparable to Western ideas of gender.-Bissu:...

shamans, Puang Matoa Saidi, from the Bugis transvestite community who narrates parts of the story.

International performances

Finally for the first time I La Galigo performance in their home town, in Makassar the capital city of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. I La Galigo back to home after 6 years performance around the world.