Yogyakarta, like Bali, is known for its arts: batik, painting, jewellery making, dance, gamelan, and theatre. Many foreigners travel to Yogyakarta to explore these traditions. It is home to a prestigious art school, the Indonesian Art Institute of Yogyakarta (ISI Yogyakarta).

One of its most-cherished cultural traditions is the Tari Topeng masked dance, which combines dance, theatre and live music. Dancers tell stories of kings, gods and goddesses, and love, many of them drawn from the great Sanskrit epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Dating to the 15th century, masked dance is still popular today, and innovative young performers are using the medium in order to address social questions and promote values such as harmony and tolerance.

Ari Ersandi, 24, is a co-founder of Pandorarimaji, a dance troupe that performs contemporary masked dance with contemporary messages. He said he worked hard to master the art, and it paid off.

"Masked dance taught me to be a person with good character," he said.

Ari said his group is multicultural and includes dancers of different religious backgrounds. More importantly, he said, the artists often use contemporary social issues in their dance to help encourage tolerance among youth.

"In response to various shootings recently, we performed on the street to tell people to be vigilant. We sent a similar message when a bloody killing occurred in Madura as a result of the conflict between Sunni and Shia followers," he continued.

A way to promote tolerance

According to Muhammad Munarwanto, a 45 year-old cleric originally from Cirebon, West Java, local art forms provide a good vehicle for teaching tolerance to youth.

"Masked dance is very common in West Java. Even though the dance itself was heavily influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism, the mask dance can explain the importance of tolerance, and Islam will not oppose efforts to promote tolerance," he told Khabar.

"Masked dance has also adopted a lot of stories from local culture. Therefore, the idea to adopt local art and performances in promoting tolerance is brilliant. As you know, West Java has been struggling to maintain our religious tolerance," he continued.

Munarwanto praised the artists' work. "They are young with a lot of ideas and creativity. I am sure we will receive more support from authorities as well," he said.

Ancient dance still relevant today

Elizabeth Nur Nilasari (Nila), 29, has been studying masked dance for eight years and is taking classes at ISI Yogyakarta. Nila said that commitment, faith, and patience are keys to mastering the art.

"Many youngsters seem to view masked dance as old-fashioned. However, it is not," she said. "As technology has improved, masked dance performances have also improved. The story is now more contemporary. The quality of dance itself is improving."

"Masked dance in fact can be used as a protest against phenomena in society. At the same time, the dance can be used to encourage harmony, tolerance, and peace. [It's the type of] flexibility that you can get only from the arts," she continued.

This year Nila received invitations to perform internationally, at the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA) in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and in South Korea.

Nila said her success stems in part from the overwhelming support she has received from her family and community.

"They appreciate the things that I have done to make a difference in the lives of young people through art," she said.

"In our performance, we welcome everyone regardless of their religious beliefs and ethnicity. I hope this will bring our community together in peace. Art is universal," Nila told Khabar.