THE life of Mimi Rasinah, maestro of the Indramayu style of Cirebon masked dances, can become a real example of how an artist’s life can revitalize a traditional art. Since she was young, this woman born in March 1930 was trained under the strict supervision of her father to dance the masked danced, kelana udeng. Rasinah is the ninth generation to study the dance which she later perfected.

Her father’s training was so rigorous, Rasinah had