dalangs

Dalangs are traditional Indonesian puppeteers who perform shadow plays, most closely associated with Java and Bali. The plural form refers to practitioners who function as puppeteer, narrator, and director in a single role, controlling puppets, giving voices to characters, and guiding the storytelling. In performances, a dalang works behind a white screen with a light behind it, using Wayang kulit (leather shadow puppets) or Wayang golek (wooden rod puppets). The dalang coordinates with a gamelan orchestra, improvises dialogue and cues, and preserves the performance’s tempo and mood.

Training is typically by apprenticeship within a family or guild, spanning years of study in storytelling, vocal control, voice casting for many characters, puppetry techniques, and rhythmic timing. A dalang may perform hundreds of characters and is responsible for adapting myths, composing lakon, and managing audience interaction. The repertoire centers on episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, but many dalangs also create or modify stories to reflect local culture, morality, and social issues.

Pivotal to Indonesian culture, the dalangs' craft is often linked to ritual, ceremonial events, and public theater. The craft has gained international recognition; Wayang kulit was designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2003, with the dalang as the central custodian of the tradition. Today, dalangs continue to train new generations, preserving technical skill and the art of storytelling in a living tradition.