Jakarta Traditional Theathers, Music and Dance

Cultural Performances

Jakarta has some excellent venues for traditional theatre, dance and music. Taman Ismail Marzuki, commonly known as T.I.M, is the show case for the arts of Jakarta. TIM is a theatre, gallery and arts institute complex at Jalan Cikini Raya 73, Menteng. TIM is one of the best places to see music and arts performance from all over the country and abroad.

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, the all-Indonesia theme park on the southern outskirt of the city, has an extensive program of traditional performances. Free cultural performances held on Sunday from 10:00 am 02:00 pm. You might see dances from Kalimantan, horse trance performance from East Java, wedding ceremony from Sulawesi or “Keroncong” music from Jakarta all held in the pavilion of their origin. Special cultural events from al over the country staged every Saturday nights from April to November.

The Bharata Theatre at Jalan Kalilio 15 in Pasar Senen, has Wayang Orang (Javanese theatre) performances from 08:00 pm to midnight every evening. Take place in a large old theatre with a traditional Java façade, performances held in bahasa Indonesia and Javanese. Wayang orang based on the Hindu epics, the Rarnayana and Mahabharata or Javanese legends associated with courts of Central Java. Accompanied with gamelan, it is a mixture of dramatic and comic theatre with some dancing and an inevitable battle scene as the noble characters vie for power or oppose the forces of evil.

The Gedung Kesenian Jakarta is a delightful colonial theatre restored to its former grandeur. Various theatrical and music events held, including many cultural events such as Ketoprak (Javanese theatre) and Lenong (Betawi folk theatre)