saman dance in the eyes of the world

in #dance7 years ago


 Saman (or the dance of a thousand hands) is one of the most popular dances in Indonesia. Its origin is from the Gayo ethnic group from Gayo Lues, Aceh province, Sumatra, and is normally performed to celebrate important occasions.[1]  The dance is characterized by its fast-paced rhythm and common harmony  between dancers. These two elements are key figures of Saman, and are  among the reasons Saman are widely known and practiced in Indonesia,  besides being relatively easy to learn. On November 24, 2011, UNESCO officially recognized Aceh's traditional Saman dance as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, which needs UNESCO's urgent protection.[2][3] The ASEAN  Tourism Association (ASEANTA) named the Saman dance as the best ASEAN  cultural preservation effort at the 25th ASEANTA Awards for Excellence  2012.[4]
 

Form

  Saman dance in Lokop, East Aceh Regency during Dutch colonial period   The dance is done by a group of people without musical instruments.  Originally, the group was exclusively male. In performing this dance,  the player sings some songs while doing some attractive movements. A  short song (which leads to a short dance) can last for approximately 15  to 20 minutes. 

 

Performance

A  typical Saman performance is usually constituted of the followings  elements: The dancers enter the stage and immediately form a single line  while sitting in a form equivalent to the Japanese seiza. The singer then begins to sing, with the lyrics at the beginning commonly telling the general attributes of Gayo  culture at medium pace. The dancers then begin to move their hands in a  rhythmic manner, following the movements. As the dance progresses, the  movements are also performed with arms, head, and the upper body. The  pace becomes faster, and the seat positions may change. The key element  is that every dancer must move at the same time, creating a homogeneous,  continuous, line of movement that is often described as the defining  feature of Saman dance. One thing that makes this dance quite unique is  that the original Saman dance which comes from Gayo Lues is not  accompanied by any musical instruments. 

https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/saman-dance-00509

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saman_(dance)

 "This  event is a collaboration between the Government of Aceh together with  Gayo Lues District Government, which has been declared a UNESCO world  heritage, Saman dance is not only owned by Gayo Lues, but also for the  world, so let's keep and preserve it together," said Reza in Gayo  District Lues, Aceh, Sunday (13/08/2017).

He explains, Saman dance is one of traditional dances typical Tanoh Rencong. This dance became one of the dance art learned in school. In addition, Saman dance has also been known in the international arena. Evident with the dance has been proven to go abroad.

Reza  said some guests from the center were also invited, one of them was the  Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy and Chairman of  Commission X of the House of Representatives, Teuku Riefky Harsya. They are present as a form of cultural and tourism conservation support.

"Implementation" of Saman Dance 10,001 dancers ", as one of the  efforts and commitment of Gayo Lues Regency and the Government of Aceh  in order to preserve, preserve and promote Saman dance as regional  identity, and to increase people's love of Saman dancing around the  world, Reza said.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Gayo Lues, Ibnu Hasyim, hopes that the  implementation of "Saman Dance of 10,001 Dancers" could be part of the  Aceh Government's efforts and commitment to remember Syech Saman and to  motivate young people in Aceh.

"The  Saman 10.001 show at Gayo Lues will inspire the community, especially  the Acehnese teenagers to always remember Syech Saman who has managed to  scent the country through his best work, as well as his desire to build  the region towards the ideals of the children of the country in  accordance with the dynamic movement of Saman and energetic "Ibnu said.

As is known, Saman dance is a dance that requires high concentration of dancers. Saman dance is synonymous with slow-motion movements at the beginning -  it gradually accelerates and reaches its climax, the fastest movement.

"Saman  Dance has a high level of difficulty: To master the Saman dance  movement perfectly, the participants must have high physical endurance,  the speed of hand movement, body, and head synchronized among fellow  dance members, as well as a correct understanding of the meaning of the  song," Ibnu said.

"Saman  dance is not only seen from how fast the dancers can perform dance  moves, but how the dancers can dance at high speed while still  maintaining tidiness of the movement.Therefore, it takes practice and  discipline of the participants to produce a stunning dance.Saman, he said.

Furthermore, Ibnu explained that it is not easy to unify the emotional  levels of different dancers, bringing together thousands of people into  a unity to create a Saman dance that can amaze the audience.

"Discipline in training is necessary because cohesiveness can not wake  up in an instant, long training time is also needed for perfection of  hand motion, shoulders, head and harmony of various alterations  (formations) that can be changed," he said.

"It is good to see Saman's upcoming time to be 30 minutes, as well as  the creations that are displayed (also) of interest so that the art can  evoke the hearts of the audience," Ibnu said.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya appreciated the title of "Dance Saman 10,001 Dancers" held by Disbudpar Aceh. This man from Banyuwangi often said that his culture is increasingly maintained more prosperous.

"It's  time for Aceh (riveting) tours through its attractions Saman Dance can  be an attraction for tourists to visit Aceh Success of Aceh, Pesona  Indonesia, Wonderful Indonesia,