dancers: Wayang orang's highly controlled and stylized dance style so closely imitates the gestures and movements of leather cut-out marionettes that the dancer, especially the male, seems to move on a flat 2-dimensional plane; feet, knees and thighs are separated at extreme angles so that his body appears flat. Thus the term wayang orang, or 'human puppets'. There are many parallels between wayang orang and wayang kulit. The actors' waiting room is called katok, the same name as the chest in which the dalang of wayang kulit keeps his puppets; the shape of the stage is similar, being long and narrow; the dancers usually show only their profiles to the audience, just as the wayang ku/it puppets do; the postures, costumes and make-up of the actors are also very similar. Wayang orang actors are so heavily made up that their faces look like they have a coat of enamel over them. Arms and shoulders are covered with a fine yellow powder. Dressing for the Tari Gatotkoco, a dance portraying manhood, can take as long as 2 hours. Observe the amazing jewelry and tall headdresses, the same shapes as those worn by the little wayang ku/it puppets. Almost complete impassivity of facial expression is the requirement. Facial gestures are strictly limited to just 3 levels, each expressing different states of the soul. Likewise, most strong emotion and moods are expressed within a particular mode of dance; you don't see inner conflicts. Dancers have to learn a meticulous, painstaking iconography. Each mode of dancing is adjusted to the physique of an individual dancer and characters can be picked out by just the way they walk. A small man will play the part of a smooth, flowing, slowmoving and soft-speaking dancer, the a/us-style, whereas a big round-faced man is chosen for a hostile, crude and booming-voiced part, the brusque kasar-style. In the battles, all combatants fight in strictly their own styles. An actor always remains 'in character' with even the movements of monsters technically very highly controlled. The crux of the male-style is the snappiness and angularity in which all movements are carried out. His hands form the Hindu mudras. Female dancers play subtle, graceful parts, always dancing with legs held close together, the steps small and tight-fitting with knees slightly bent. Fingers are at times extended by artificial fingernails to accentuate their dramatic impact. Dance scarves (sampurl are used often to express sadness or to symbolically topple an enemy. Love scenes are enacted powerfully without players ever touching each other but with all the tension and passion put across by just looking. The Javanese wayang orang comic servants (panakawans), Semar, Petruk, Gareng and Bagong, are not found in the more faithful and sedate Indian original of the Mahabharata by Valmiki; they are a pure Javanese creation. The Hindu God Shiva is often played by a woman, dilligently taught from 5 years of age. Taunted by bearded devils and other demonic creatures, she glides, dances, fights, makes speeches, cries, sings, and wins.