The original Reog of Ki Ageng Kutu were very simple. One unit of Ki Ageng Kutu Reog creation consists of the actors: Singo Barong with its peacock feathers mask, Bujang Ganong, two Jathilan dancers with two men dressed women. Musical instruments (perawit) consists of one drum, two angklung, one kenong, a gong, a bugle. While some people of "ice breaker" consists of an unspecified amount with the odd job, to help risen up the atmosphere with their "senggakan-senggakan" (bursting mouth) and a boisterous cheering roar.
A modern Reog usually performed in several events such as weddings, circumcisions and National holidays, or ceremonies either in Government and private company. Reog Ponorogo consists of several series of two to three opening dances.
The first dance is usually performed by brave men with a 6-8 all-black clothes, with faces painted red. The dancer depicts the figure of a courageous lion. Next is a dance which is performed by 6-8 girls who rides horses. In traditional Reog, these dancers are usually played by male dancers who dressed women. This dance is called "Jaran Kepang" or the braid horse dance, which should be distinguished from other dances which are "Kuda Lumping" dance. Other opening dance if there is usually a dance by a little boy who brought the funny scenes.
After the opening dance finished, the next scene displayed is the main scene whose content depends upon the condition where the Reog art performance being held. If the feast is associated with the wedding scene, then the story is about romance. And for the circumcision or ceremony feast, the the story usually a story about warriors.
Reog art scene scenario usually does not follow a well-organized order. It has always been an interaction between the player and the puppeteer (usually the leader of the group) and sometimes with the audience, too. Sometimes a player's performances can be replaced by other players if the players are exhausted. In the end, Reog art performance is to give satisfaction to the audience, as well visuals and sounds.
Last scene, is a Singo Barong (or Lion head) dance, where the perpetrator wore a mask-shaped head of a lion with a crown made of peacock feathers, in which the weight of this mask can reach to 50-60 kilos. This heavy mask carried by the dancers with their teeth only by bitting the mask. The ability to carry and wear this mask is gained by a hard and serious training, aside to believed that it also gained by spiritual practices like fasting and penance. Not to mention, in a ceremony or welcoming party, usually the public figure, Guest Of Honor and even celebrity is being honored by sitting on the lion head mask while it dancing. So now we can have a picture why this tradition has its own path of lineage and very hard training indeed.