Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Surviving oppressive regime, family retains dance tradition

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Surviving oppressive regime, family retains dance tradition

Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/09/2010 8:55 AM

A family legacy: Oscar Kam Hok An, the owner of Bel Pas Barongsai-Liong Club, poses with his grandchildren who have been groomed to become the next generation of dragon dance performers. Ever since the government changed the law to permit Chinese traditional and religious celebrations in public, the club has had no shortage of work, especially around Chinese new year. JP/Irawaty Wardany

It is his great passion for his decedents’ traditions, especially the barongsai (tiger dance) and the liong (dragon dance), that helped Oscar Kam Hok An withstand the ups and downs of the government’s policy on the Chinese tradition.

Even when the Indonesian government banned barongsai from being performed in public, Oscar maintained his barongsai-liong dance club that he named Bel Pas, an acronym of Belakang Pasar (behind the market), because the club’s office that also houses Oscar and his family is located behind Jatinegara traditional market in East Jakarta.

“This club was actually started by one of my seniors, the late The Cap Tian, under the name of Kun Siang She in the 1950s,” he told The Jakarta Post at his house on Monday.

Back then, the 59-year-old man had not yet realized his own passion for the barongsai tradition, “but I often watched when [members of Kun Siang She] performed”.

The club went into a long hiatus after the Soeharto government in 1967 issued a presidential decree that banned any Chinese traditional or religious activities in public.

In 1970 the group was suddenly invited to perform in Bogor for Cap Go Meh (the event marking the end of Chinese New Year).

“There was a letter that guaranteed the barongsai performance could be performed in public for that celebration only,” Oscar recalled.

After the performance, he and his colleagues decided to reopen their barongsai club and asked The Cap Tian to train them.

“Ever since the club was restarted I was put in charge of it’s management and decided to change its name into Bel Pas,” Oscar said, adding they used to dance the barongsai in the alleys of Jatinegara market, before the government withdrew the restriction.

It was when the government under late president Abdurrahman Wahid abolished the presidential decree in 2000, the club started to grow and received invitations to many events.

“We play everywhere at every event, be it office openings, religious events or simply traditional festivals,” Oscar said.

Today the club has at least 35 third generation barongsai and liong performers, from 17-25 years old, and 15 fourth-generation performers ranging from 10-12 years old.

With Chinese New Year around the corner the club is almost fully booked for a month before the day. “We receive invitations almost every day between January 28 and March 7,” Oscar said.

This year Chinese New Year falls on Feb 14, marking the year of the Tiger.

The Bel Pas school performs barongsai free of charge at schools and at religious events, however it does charge Rp 3 million for barongsai and Rp 4.5 million for liong at office openings and mall performances.