Bedhaya Ketawang Dance -

The Bedhaya (Bedoyo) is a sacred dance of Java, Indonesia, considered as pusaka/heirloom and associated with the royal palaces of Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Along with the Serimpi Dance, the Bedhaya Dance epitomized the elegant (halus) character of the royal court. They are performed by princesses or daughters of the ruling family. Serimpi portrays one or two duelling pairs of Amazons who move in unison, fighting with dainty daggers and tiny bows and arrows. The Bedaya Ketawang was thought to have been created by the Goddess of the South Sea, Kangjeng Ratu Kidul for Sultan Panembahan Senopati, the founder of the Mataram Dynasty, the nine dancers representing the spirit of the goddess. When the Mataram Kingdom was finally divided into Surakarta and Yogyakarta in 1755, Bedhaya evolved into two different forms in the two court cities - the Bedhaya Ketawang in Surakarta (Solo), and the Bedhaya Semang (Yogyakarta) created by Sultan Hamengkubuwono II, which is no longer performed. The Solonese dance continues to be