Sundanese Dance Accompaniment: the Career of Pa Kayat

This article traces the career of Pa Kayat, a key innovator in Sundanese dance accompaniment during the 20th century. Drawing on traditions of tayuban, Cirebonese topeng, and Central Javanese dance, he created new arrangements and instrumental techniques that reshaped gamelan accompaniment. Collaborating with choreographer Raden Tjetje Somantri, his innovations influenced later genres such as jaipongan. Remembered as a master drummer, Pa Kayat embodied the improvisatory interplay between dance and kendang, leaving a legacy continued by his descendants, including musician Undang Sumarna.