Dalang The wayang puppeteer. This art was once passed down from father to son. Now it's taught only in special schools in Central Java. The dalang is the playwright, producer, principal narrator, conductor and director of this shadow world. He must be intimately versed in history, including complex royal genealogies; music (melodies, modes, phrases, songs); recitation (both gamelan and spoken); eloquence (an extempore poet creating a warm or terrifying atmosphere); have a familiarity with metaphysics, spiritual knowledge and perfection of soul. He's an expert in languages and highly skilled in the techniques of ventriloquism. He must be familiar with all levels of speech according to the dramatis personae, modulating his voice and employing up to 9 tonal and pitch variations to suit each of their temperments. The dalang has a highly developed dramatic sense and if he has a good voice, his chants are beautiful and captivating to hear. Sometimes he carves his own wayang, maintaining a cast of up to 200 which are kept in his big wooden box. A man of unbelievable physical endurance (some chew betelnut for strength) and amazing detachment and self-control, he must be able to work his many characters for 6 hours or longer, keeping up to 6 cut-out puppets moving and talking at the same time. With movements of arms, hands, fingers, feet and voice, the dalang must maintain different body rhythms all at once. Battle scenes show best of all the degree of the dalang's skills. Small children sit in the front rows and sometimes the da/ang increases the number of battles in the plot in proportion to the number of children in the audience. He has as many fans as a film star.