Shadow Glossary

Use Terms as Guides, Not Laws

Shadow-performance vocabulary is not perfectly standardized. Some words are broad umbrella terms, while others belong to a specific tradition. This glossary keeps the distinctions practical rather than overly rigid.

Shadowgraphy / Hand Shadows

On this site, shadowgraphy means performing figures with the hands and body in light. "Hand shadows" is the plain-language term most readers will recognize immediately.

Ombromanie

A historical French term associated with hand-shadow performance in salons and variety entertainment. You will still see it in archival material and performing-arts writing.

Shadow Puppetry / Shadow Play

Broader umbrella terms for traditions that project figures onto a screen. Depending on the context, those figures may be made with hands, paper, hide, rods, or other materials.

Shadow Figure / Silhouette

The image the audience sees on the screen. "Silhouette" emphasizes the outline; "shadow figure" emphasizes the character or object being represented.

Shadow Puppet

A common modern term for a projected figure. In some traditions it refers specifically to a constructed puppet rather than a hand-made figure, so context matters.

Dalang

The puppeteer and performance leader in Javanese wayang. The dalang handles narration, character voices, musical cues, and puppet manipulation.

Hayali

The traditional Karagoz performer, often described as the "shadow-maker" or principal imaginer behind the screen.

Kelir

The screen used in wayang kulit performance.

Gunungan

A leaf- or mountain-shaped wayang figure used to open scenes, mark transitions, and symbolize the wider world of the story.

Scrim / Screen

A white or light-colored surface that receives the projection. At home this may be a wall or sheet; onstage it may be a dedicated fabric screen.

Point Light Source

A small concentrated light that usually creates cleaner edges than a broad multi-bulb source.

Transition

The movement that carries one readable figure into another. In hand-shadow performance, transitions are part of the act, not just setup between poses.