DANCE OF INDONESIA

MAHATMA PRIMANDARU 081214127

Dance is one of the most popular arts in this world. Many people love dance very much. They think that dance is very beautiful and interesting. Although they like to watch the dance, some of them do not know about the definiton of the dance. From the article in Wikipedia, entitled “Dance”, the definition of the dance is a sport and art form that generally refers to movement of the body. Dance is also a form of nonverbal communication between humans. With dance, we can express our feeling and our emotion. Our relation with our friends can also be expressed by a dance.

In the past, our ancestor used dance in some events. They used dance to celebrate a harvest. That dance is a way to thank to God. They also used dance in some rituals or ceremonies. Dance is like a way to express their feeling and their condition. When they were bored, they danced to entertaint each others.

In Indonesia, we have many beautiful dances. Indonesia has many islands and it means dance in Indonesia is various. Different island has different dance. In this writing, I want to tell you about some dances in Indonesia.

I want to start from Central Java. Based on a article in the “The Jakarta Post” entitled “Srimpi Sukarsih': A symbol of a prince's love”, Central Java has some popular dances. One of the most favourite dances in there is Srimpi Sukarsih. Srimpi Sukarsih is a classic dance which come from Surakarta Palace. Srimpi Sukarsih is choreographed by Surakarta King Pakoe Boewono VIII (1858-1861) in 1859. The name “Sukarsih” is inspired by the court singer Ny. Sukarsih, who admired by the King. Srimpi Sukarsih portrays four principles. They are humbleness, patience and pre severance, modesty, steadfastness and loyalty. This dance is danced by four pretty virgin girls. The insruments of this dance is gamelan. Gamelan is a traditional instruments from Java. If we want to see the dance we have to go to the court of Surakarta Hadiningrat.


After we know about the dance of Central Java, we move to the Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta is known as a culture city. The dance of Yogyakarta is very famous. Now, I want to tell you about a magical classic dance of Yogyakarta. The dance named Bedhaya Ketawang. After I read an article in Jakarta Post, entitled “Nothing sacred anymore about Bedhaya and Srimpi”, I know that Bedhaya Ketawang is a dance which portrays the supernatural love between The First King of Yogyakarta and Ratu Kidul. This dance is performed by nine dancers. The dancers are nine pretty virgin girls. Actually Bedaya Ketawang is a dance which has a purpose. The purpose is to commemorate the coronation of the King. I am sure that all of you want to see the dance. If you want to see this dance, you can go to the Ksatrian Hall of the Yogyakarta Palace on every Sunday morning.

Another famous place in Indonesia is Bali. Bali becomes the tourism attractions because of its beautiful and attractive dance. I want to tell you about one of the most famous dances of Bali. The dance is Legong Keraton. An article in www.99bali.com entitled Legong Keraton, give me much information about Legong Keraton. From that, I know that Legong Keraton is a heavenly dance of divine nymphs. Legong Keraton is Legong from the palace. Legong Keraton portrays femininity and grace of woman. The instrument of this dance is gamelan. Legong Keraton is very famous in some tourisms. If we want to see this dance we can go to the “puri”.

After Balinese dance, I want to tell you about another famous dance of Indonesia. The dance is Reog. Reog comes from East Java, and it is very popular. Reog Ponorogo is a traditional dance which has mystical power. After I read an article about Reog Ponorogo, I find some information about Reog Ponorogo. The dancers and the musicians of this dance are about 25-40 people. The interesting thing of Reog Ponorogo is Singo Barong Mask. A dancer have to wear a mask which is 30-40 kg weight. Beside Singo barong, the other figures of Reog Ponorogo are Kelono Sewandono, Warok, Bujang Anom, and Jathilan. All of the figures of Reog dance together. The instrument of this dance is gamelan. If we want to see this dance we can go to the Ponorogo.

The next dance is come from West Sumatra. The dance is “Tari Piring”. “Tari Piring” is the Indonesian name of Plate Dance. I am sure that all of you know about Plate Dance. Actually Plate Dance comes from Minangkabau, West Sumatra. The dancers are some young couples. They dance happily because this dance portrays a sense of Joy. In the past, the ancestor performed this dance when the harvest time came. The movements of this dance are very attractive. They are playing two plates in their hands very quickly. I think this dance is very beautiful. Nowadays, Plate Dance is performed at the wedding.

The last dance comes from Maluku. I want to tell you two dances which are very popular in Maluku. I want to start with Langasa Dance. Langasa Dance is a dance which come from central Halmahera. In the past, this dance is performed in traditional medical treatment ceremony. Nowadays, this dance performs in greeting ceremony. Second dance is Lenso Dance. The dancers of this dance are some women. The movements of this dance are dynamic and energetic. The dancers carry “lenso” (handkerchief) in both of their hands. Actually, this dance is a kind of a greeting dance. If we want to see this dance we can attend in traditional ceremony or formal occasion.

In conclusion, they are some of dances of Indonesia. All of the dances are very beautiful. With dance, we can express our feeling and make a happy situation with our friends. Some of our dances are our ancestor heritage. We need to keep and practice the dances. We have to make the dances become more popular around the world. Thank you.


REFERENCES
1. Dance.Wikipedia. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from : //http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance
2. The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 09/14/2002, entitled “Srimpi Sukarsih” ; A Symbol Of A Prince’s love
3. The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 06/17/2001, entitled “Nothing sacred anymore about Bedhaya and Srimpi”
4. Balinese dance. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from : // http://www.99bali.com/dance/legong/
5. Truly Indonesia (Reog Ponorogo). Saturday, 17. October 2009. My Opera. Retrieved May 22, 2010, from http://my.opera.com/masthebee/blog/show.dml/4434227
6. S. Negoro, Suryo. Reog Ponorogo. Joglosemar. Retrieved May 20,2010, from
7. Pocy, vierna’s. Tari Piring. The culture of Indonesia. Retrieved May 20, 2010, from : http://emily-stranges.blogspot.com/search?q=minangkabau
8. Leonardo.Monday, 6 July 2009. Traditional Dances of Maluku. Retrieved May 24, 2010, From Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Provinsi Maluku Web Site: http://www.disbudparmaluku.org/index.php/component/content/article/36-study-case/214-traditional-dances-of-maluku.html