The flame flickers, the shadows quiver, and the warm night air vibrates with the stately sounds of gamelan music, as the puppeteer unfolds a complex tale of heroes and demons that will last nearly until dawn.

In Central Java, the puppeteer, or dalang, is the commander of a wayang kulit shadow-puppet theater performance. While carrying out all of the dialogue and manipulating finely carved leather puppets to cast animated shadows on an illuminated screen, he rattles metal plates with his foot to provide sound effects and cues the musicians to start, stop, or change the accompaniment.

Musical Instrument Museum