SPEL AS AN IMPROVISATIONAL SYSTEM IN EAST JAVANESE LUDRUK
pel sebagai Sistem Improvisasi dalam Pertunjukan Ludruk Jawa Timur
Keywords:
spel; improvisasi; ludruk; dramaturgi; regenerasiAbstract
Improvisation is a central device that sustains the flexibility, social proximity, and vitality of ludruk performance. Yet the local practice known as spel is commonly reduced to a technical pre-performance meeting, leaving its artistic and pedagogical mechanisms insufficiently conceptualized. This study identifies the distinctive features of spel and develops a conceptual model of improvisation in East Javanese ludruk. An exploratory qualitative approach combines literature review, performance observation, structured and unstructured interviews with ludruk practitioners, document analysis, and source-method triangulation. Findings at the progress-report stage indicate that spel functions as a coordination system connecting narrative maps, scene nodes, bodily and vocal cues, inter-performer rhythm, audience-response reading, and ethical boundaries of humour. Ludruk improvisation is therefore not unstructured spontaneity but real-time co-creation supported by experience, ensemble trust, and cultural knowledge. The article proposes a five-stage spel cycle and contributes to improvisation studies, traditional actor pedagogy, and the regeneration of ludruk.
Kata kunci: spel; improvisasi; ludruk; dramaturgi; regenerasi
Downloads
References
Abdillah, A. (2016). Transformasi budaya Arek dan Mataram dalam Ludruk Karya Budaya Mojokerto [Disertasi doktoral, Universitas Airlangga].
Adiyani, L. K., Riyanto, E. D., & Afdholy, N. (2024). Cross-generational inclusivity of traditional performing art preservation: A case study of Ludruk Medang Taruna Budaya. Jurnal Penelitian Humaniora, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.23917/humaniora.v25i1.23582
Afiaty, R., & Moelyono. (2023). Rekindling the spirit of resistance in Ludruk folk art. Journal of Public Pedagogies, 7. https://doi.org/10.15209/jpp.1296
Batulloh, H. R. (2025). Struktur komposisi dan iringan pentas Jula-Juli pada pertunjukan Ludruk di Padepokan Seni Kirun. Jurnal Kajian Seni, 12(1), 45-61. https://doi.org/10.22146/jksks.100844
Blonde, M., Mortelier, F., Bourdin, B., & Hainselin, M. (2021). Teenagers tell better stories after improvisational theater courses. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 638932. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.638932
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE.
Brett, G. (2025). Social skills and audience agency in improvised social performance. American Journal of Cultural Sociology, 13, 456-480. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41290-024-00242-8
Deans, C., & Pini, S. (2022). Skilled performance in Contact Improvisation: The importance of interkinaesthetic sense of agency. Synthese, 200, 139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-022-03629-7
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2018). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). SAGE.
Diggles, D. (2004). Improv for actors. Allworth Press.
Ekantoro, J., Kharismawati, I., Ferdiansyah, I., & Puspita, T. D. (2023). Pelestarian kesenian ludruk sebagai aset budaya tradisional di Kelurahan Pagesangan, Kecamatan Jambangan, Kota Surabaya. UBHARA, 5(2), 1725-1732.
Fischer-Lichte, E. (2008). The transformative power of performance: A new aesthetics. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203894989
Frost, A., & Yarrow, R. (1990). Improvisation in drama. Macmillan Education.
Jalal, M. (2022). Periodisasi perubahan potret perjalanan seni tradisional ludruk. Biokultur, 11(2), 112-124.
Johnstone, K. (1979). Impro: Improvisation and the theatre. Faber and Faber.
Koppett, K. (2001). Training to imagine: Practical improvisational theatre techniques to enhance creativity, teamwork, leadership, and learning. Stylus.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (4th ed.). SAGE.
Peacock, J. L. (1968). Rites of modernization: Symbolic and social aspects of Indonesian proletarian drama. University of Chicago Press.
Rahmiati, D., Maryani, E., Dida, S., & Hadisiwi, P. (2024). Just a joke? Audience interpretations of sexist humor in Ludruk performances. Communicare: Journal of Communication Studies, 11(2), 220-235. https://doi.org/10.37535/101011220248
Sabri, I., Abdillah, A., Hidajad, A., & Suryandoko, W. (2021). Improvisasi teater: Materi kesiapan aktor. GETER: Jurnal Seni Drama, Tari dan Musik, 4(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.26740/geter.v4n2.p1-14
Salinsky, T., & Frances-White, D. (2013). The improv handbook: The ultimate guide to improvising in comedy, theatre, and beyond. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
Sawyer, R. K. (2003). Group creativity: Music, theater, collaboration. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410608498
Sawyer, R. K. (2011). Explaining creativity: The science of human innovation (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Schechner, R. (2020). Performance studies: An introduction (4th ed.). Routledge.
Schwenke, D., Bleichner, M. G., Fjaellingsdal, T. G., Meekes, J., Bögels, S., Kräplin, A., Kuhlen, A. K., Wehner, P., & Scherbaum, S. (2024). Improving by improvising: The impact of improvisational theatre on handling expectation violation during social creativity. Journal of Creativity, 34(2), 100082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjoc.2024.100082
Schwenke, D., Dshemuchadse, M., Rasehorn, L., Klarhölter, D., & Scherbaum, S. (2021). Improv to improve: The impact of improvisational theater on creativity, acceptance, and psychological well-being. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 16(1), 31-48. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2020.1754987
Setiawan, B., Sudiyono, S., Afifah, W., Suryandoko, W., Wibowo, S., & Setyono, H. (2026). Creativity and innovation of Ludruk performing art in Lamongan Regency: A case study of Sendakala Ludruk performing art. BAHASTRA, 46(1). https://doi.org/10.26555/bs.v46i1.1628
Sisnia, A. R., & Abdillah, A. (2021). Ludruk untuk kalangan milenial: Studi kasus Ludruk Marsudi Laras Surabaya. GETER: Jurnal Seni Drama, Tari dan Musik, 4(2), 15-29.
Spolin, V. (1999). Improvisation for the theater: A handbook of teaching and directing techniques (3rd ed.). Northwestern University Press.
Supriyanto, H. (2001). Ludruk Jawa Timur: Pemaparan sejarah, tonel direksi, manajemen dan himpunan lakon. Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Provinsi Jawa Timur.
Suryandoko, W. (2023). Teater monolog tradisional: Bentuk pertunjukan, nilai, dan kehidupan jalanan. GETER: Jurnal Seni Drama, Tari dan Musik, 6(1).
Tracy, S. J. (2020). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Yuliati, D., Rochwulaningsih, Y., Utama, M. P., Mufidah, R., Masruroh, N. N., & Sholihah, F. (2023). Using social media for preserving the Javanese traditional arts: Adaptation strategy of Sobokartti in the millennial era. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(1), 2180875. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2180875
Zandra, R. A., & Hidayatullah, H. T. (2024). The existence of Indonesian local performing arts in the digital era: A quantitative content analysis of trending TikTok videos. Dewa Ruci: Jurnal Pengkajian dan Penciptaan Seni, 19(2), 112-127. https://doi.org/10.33153/dewaruci.v19i2.6131
Zenk, L., Hynek, N., Schreder, G., & Bottaro, G. (2022). Toward a system model of improvisation. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 43, 100993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100993
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jurnal Pendidikan Sendratasik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Abstract views: 0
,
PDF Downloads: 0
