Surabaya Art & Culture

Karawitan

Karawitan, the Javanese traditional music orchestra consisting of a gamelan and a flute or human voice (see photo above), is also played in East Java occasionally on traditional events such as ceremonies for thanksgiving, weddings and the like.

Karawitan is unique in that it uses a five note scale. It is widely played in Java and Bali with various customisation especially in language and rhytym and often uses a gong to keep time.

You can listen to this enchanting and beautiful music every night in the lobby of the Hotel Elmi as the thick smoke from kretek (clove) cigarettes swirls around the room. An experience you'll soon not forget.

Art & Culture

Similar to Central Java's culture, Surabaya's is influenced by Madura. People from these two regions speaks the same language (although in different accent), and they have no problem communicating each other using those accents. That said Surabaya people are more direct than other Javanese in Central Java region, but actually it is just an expression of their openness to others (doesn't mean other Javanese are not open).

The whole range of the region's performing arts can be sampled in Surabaya. Surabaya is also the place to watch Reog, one of Java's oldest and and most unique performances. Reog is the local name for the ancient trance dance which occurs in different forms and under different names from Banten to Bali. The performer rides a flat hobby horse of woven bamboo and is literally whipped into a trance state while strange looking characters look on. A surreal experience to be sure.

The Javanese great epics, Mahabarata and Ramayana, are also performed occasionally in the Art Centre on Jl. Genteng Kali. Modified from its original version to meet local taste and philosophy, those epics are very popular among the local population.

The most distinctive drama-like performance in Surabaya is ludruk which was originally performed only by men. It is usually performed as a comedy, heroic story or legend. Nowadays it's played by both men and women and performed occasionally at Surabaya's Taman Hiburan Rakyat (Amusement Park) on Jl. Kusuma Bangsa