Indonesia

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Indonesia consists of over 17,500 islands covering more than 3,200 miles of ocean located in Southeast Asia and is only rivaled in population by the United States, India, and China. Its location plays a vital and crucial role in the overall region. In the 1920s, Indonesian nationalists created the language Bahasa Indonesia from the Malay dialect, which become their universal language. Later, Indonesia gained its independence in 1949 after a four year battle with the Dutch over control of the country. The total population of Indonesia consists of over 200 million people who make up an extremely diverse population consisting of around 300 ethnic groups and over

250 languages. The largest of these ethnicities are the Javanese who populate Java Island and make up 41 percent of the overall Indonesian populace. The second largest are the Sundanese in western Java who make up 15 percent. The next largest are the Madurese consisting of only 3 percent, while the many other ethnicities such as the Bantenese, Betawi, Bugis, Malays, and Minangkabau, are the minorities of the country. Among such a diverse group, one commonality can be found in the production and consumption of rice and fish. Rice is considered a sacred commodity for the Indonesian culture which holds rituals and other celebrations for the planting, harvesting, and consumption of rice. In Sumatra, a part of Indonesia, Karo Batak farmers keep a refuge in the center of their crops for the rice spirit. In eastern Indonesia, Sahu farmers performed rituals in the center of their crops, but since have converted to Christianity and now offer Christian prayers. Many of these rituals include celebrations in the performing arts, including the Tari Indang (Indang Dance) and the Tari Piring (Plate Dance) found in the West Sumatera region of Indonesia from the Minangkabau community. For the Tari Indang or Indang Dance, the indang (a small tambourine) is placed in front of each dancer and used as a musical instrument as they sit on the floor. There is usually an odd number of dancers who dance while sitting for most of the duration without moving from their places. The Indang Dance uses choreography that mimics the throwing of fishing nets and the winnowing of rice. The Plate Dance is a celebration of a good harvest and mimics the planting and reaping or bercucuk, of crops. This choreography is usually performed while holding small plates in the palm of each hand.

Among the many performances and rituals held each year in Indonesia, a small group of students know as the Bireun Seudati have gathered from the Pelita Harapan Univeristy and have been performing in the art of traditional Indonesian dances since 2006. Bireun Seudati, currently has 37 active members involving photographers, musicians, and dancers who travel all over the world to share the Indonesian culture through the performing arts. Among the 7 different dances or musicals they have performed are the Indang Dance and the Plate Dance. Other dances they have performed are the Rampai Kipas Dance, Zapin Dance, Gandrung Bali Dance, Saman Dance, and Lenggang Kembang Dance. The Rampai Kipas Dance comes from Lampung and celebrates the beauty and style of motion with bright colors, cheerful music, and an agile choreography. The Zapin Dance is most popular in the Malay areas of Indonesia and is believed to have been originally introduced by Muslim missionaries. The dance began as a male only performance used for religious rituals, but eventually it made the transition into a form of entertainment and includes female dancers.

The Gandrung Bali Dance is another ritual dance used to worship the goddess of fertility and rice, Dewi Sri, before making the transition into a courtship performance. Gandrung translates to infatuation and has since lost its ritual usage. The Saman Dance or Thousand Hands came from Gayo Lues and was created in the 13th century and developed for religious purposes. This is usually a celebration of the Prophet Muhammads birthday or other Indonesian holidays. The choreography involves chest slapping, clapping, or hitting the floor in a disciplined and well-practiced rhythm along side a narration which must be loud enough for the audience to hear and the choreography must be performed with perfect coordination so no one is hurt during the performance. The Lenggang Kembang Dance is a modern celebration of the independent freedom of women. This includes very colorful costumes to represent a beautiful life and is inspired by several different cultures.

Bibliography

Bountiful Davis Art Center Information Packett. Indonesia Hamilton, Roy. W. The Art of Rice; Spirit and Sustenance in Asia. Los Angeles: Regents of the University of California, 2003. 53. Publication. Grolier Inc. The Encyclopedia Americana International Edition; Volume 15. Danbury: Grolier Inc., 2001. 77. Encyclopedia. World Book, Inc. The World Book Encyclopedia; I Volume 10. Chicago: a Scott Fetzer company, 2012. 226, 227, 229. Encyclopedia. Josephine, Alexandra. Love and Nationalism with Traditional Dances. Blogspt.com. 18 Jul. 2012. http://alejoina.blogspot.com/. Online.