Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Traditional Indonesian dance

Dance in Indonesia (Indonesian: Tarian Indonesia) reflects the country's diversity of ethnicities and cultures. There are more than 700 ethnic groups in Indonesia: Austronesian roots and Melanesian tribal forms are visible, and influences ranging from neighboring Asian and even western styles through colonization. Each ethnic group has their own dances; makes total dances in Indonesia are more than 3000 Indonesian original dances.
However, the dances of Indonesia can be divided into three eras; the Prehistoric Era, the Hindu/Buddhist Era and the Era of Islam, and into two genres; court dance and folk dance.


Terbangan from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.


Surung Dhayung from Bill Cunningham on Vimeo.

Indonesian Dances from Aceh to Papua

Aceh Dance:

Tari Seudati:
Danced by 8 men and 1-2 other narrators and led by a sheh (dance leader). It doesn't need any musical instruments. The dance describes heroic characteristics of Acehnese.




Tari Saman (for men) and Meusekat (for women):
Developed from the traditional dance "Tepuk Ane" and played by 8-20 dancers.  They kneel in a row on the floor or the ground and make many kinds of torso movements. It starts with a very slow speed which gradually becomes a rapid speed then stop suddenly. Accompanied by songs while clapping hands, slapping the   chest, slapping hands on the floor.


North Sumatra
Tari Manduda:
Traditional dance of Simalungunese, portraying the people who are excited during 







Tari Sekapur Sirih:
This is danced to greet guests who are visiting North Sumatra. 







 West Sumatra
Tari Piring:
This dance is uses plates with candles on top as one of the accessories. Dancers skilfully move their hands with the plates and candles in them. This dance symbolizes the tight and co-ordinated Minangkabau people. 







Riau
Joget Lambak:
The dance is one of the means of socializing between young girls and guys. 

Tari Tandak Riau:
This is also one of the social dances in Riau  

Jambi
Tari Rangguk:
Full spirited dance, especially performed to greet some guests.

Tari Selampit Delapan:
A social dance for the teenage girls and boys
Lampung
Tari Jangget:
This is a special dance which is performed during traditional ceremonies. It portrays the morals of the people of Lampung.

Tari Melinting:
A dance that carries a legend. When Sunan Gunung Jati (one of the Nine Islam Sheikhs in Indonesia) visited the Kingdom of Pugung, he fell in love with Putri Sinar Alam--the princess--who was supposedly performing Tarin Melinting.  

Tari Bedana:
A social dance with Islam influence 

Tari Tanggai:
A special dance to greet the guests of South Sumatra. All of the dancers have fake long gold nails as one of their accessories.

Bengkulu
Tari Bidadari Terminang Anak:
It means a dance for a fairy who is cuddling a baby. This a traditional dance of Rejanglebong.

Betawi Dance
Tari Sembah:
A dance to greet the guests  

Tari Topeng:
This is also a dance to greet the guests, mostly for  guests of honour.


West Java
Tari Merak:
It means a 'Peacock Dance.' It is suitably named, because the dance portrays the life of peacocks. The dancers are elaborately dressed with headpiece and colourful long scarf.

Tari Jaipong:
This is the infamous social dance in West Java

Tari Topeng Kuncaran:
This is a special dance which tells a story of a King who had vengeance for his unrequited love

Central Java
Tari Srimpi:
A special 'Kraton' (palace) dance which is elegant and beautiful. 

Tari Kendalen:
It is a warrior dance

Yogykarta
Beksan Lawung Ageng:
This dance was created by Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I (the King) to motivate his soldiers. It is performed by 16 people.



East Java 
Tari Remong:
Its origin is Surabaya, the capital city of East Java. Besides performed to greet guests, this dance also symbolizes brevity.  

Reog Ponorogo:
Reog is a traditional Indonesian dance form. There are many type of Reogs in Indonesia, but the most famous one is Reog Ponorogo.
Reog Ponorogo tells the story of a battle between the King of Ponorogo and the magical lion Singa Barong. It usually consists of three sets of dances; each dance is performed by several dancers. The first dance is the opening dance, performed by male dancers wearing black costumes. The second dance is the Jaran Kepang dance; it is performed by female dancers wearing colourful costumes. The third dance is the main attraction of the show; it is performed by all the Reog dancers. The main male dancer, wearing a large and heavy lion mask, dances in the centre of the stage while the other dancers dance around him.
Reog dancers traditionally perform in a trance state.
  


Bali Dance
Pendet is a traditional dance from Bali, Indonesia, in which offerings are made to purify the temple or theater as a prelude to ceremonies or other dances. Pendet is typically performed by young girls, carrying bowls of flower petals, handfuls of which are cast into the air at various times in the dance. Pendet can be thought of as a dance of greeting, to welcome the audience and invite spirits to enjoy a performance.
Traditional Balinese dances are the oldest form of performing arts in Bali. Traditional dances can be divided into two types, sacred dance called Wali and entertainment dance called Bebalihan. Wali (sacred dance) is usually performed in some ritual ceremonies only because it has strong magical powers and only can be performed by specific dancers. Bebalihan are usually performed in social events. In addition to entertain, Bebalihan also has other purposes such as: welcoming guests, celebration of harvests, or gathering crowds. Bebalihan has more variations than Wali.
Pendet is the presentation of an offering in the form of a ritual dance. Unlike the exhibition dances that demand arduous training, Pendet may be danced by anyone. It is taught simply by imitation.
Younger girls follow the movements of the elder women, who recognize their responsibility in setting a good example. Proficiency comes with age. As a religious dance, Pendet is usually performed during temple ceremonies.
All dancers carry in their right hand a small offering of incense, cakes, water vessels, or flower formations. With these they dance from shrine to shrine within the temple. Pendet may be performed intermittently throughout the day and late into the night during temple feasts.
The original Pendet dance is performed by 4-5 young girls (before their puberty) in temple yards. Pendet dancers bring flowers in small Bokor (silver bowls containing flowers in a ceremony). They spread the flowers around the temple. This dance is a symbol of welcoming God in some ritual ceremonies in Bali. Pendet actually has simple dance movements. These movements are the basic dance movements of Balinese dance. Pendet has undergone later development with variations and now is not only performed in ritual ceremonies but also in some social events. Pendet since has been known as a welcoming dance.

Tari Legong:
A charming dance which symbolizes human's elegance.



Tari Kecak:
This is a very intense and sacred dance performed by 50-150 men, usually the whole village. They rise and squat in concentric circles around a fire chanting, "Kecak-cak-cak," as a narrator unfolds a tale from Ramayana.