Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the use of archaeological sites in the construction of nationalist narratives in postcolonial Indonesia. It shows that dance spectacles which are presented in their vicinity generate a sense of historical depth which is both seductive and illusory.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the use of archaeological sites in the construction of nationalist narratives in postcolonial Indonesia. It will focus particularly on productions of the Ramayana at the Shaivite temple of Loro Jonggrang at Prambanan, Central Java which was first conceived in the 1950s and which continues to attract domestic and international tourists. This is one example of how dance spectacles which are presented at archaeological sites in their vicinity provide a sense of continuity in a nation which is formed as a result of colonial contingencies. The mythologisation of the past implicates dancing bodies as well as stone monuments, and generates fictitious histories of dance. In the case of the Ramayana Ballet, these manipulations are dramatised by the contrast between the eroded images of dancing bodies in the stone, and the choreographic innovations which were introduced in the Ramayana. The setting speaks of monumentally-sanctioned continuity. By contrast the dynamics of choreographic invention show that even as embodied performances feeds into the narrative of nationhood, it is evidence of the nation's qualities being thought of as emergent and immanent, present in dynamic human bodies. This has implications for understanding how archaeologically motivated themes play in narratives of nationhood, in relation to nation both as an idea, and as embodied in its citizens.