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Cultural gallery marks anniversary with 'Unity in Diversity' performances
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Dewi Gita performs with Laila Sari during the Melodi Empat Penjuru anniversary event of Galeri Indonesia Kaya on Saturday, Oct. 14. (Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation/File)
A
series of cultural performances themed Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) was held in Jakarta as part of Galeri Indonesia Kaya’s fourth anniversary celebration.
The cultural gallery is part of the Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation.
The commemoration’s fourth event, called Melodi Empat Penjuru (Four Corners Melody), was held on Saturday.
The previous three events — Wayang Jurnalis (Journalist Puppeteer), a keroncong music concert titled Indahnya Kebersamaan (The Beauty of Togetherness) and Gayatri: Renkarnasi (Gayatri: Reincarnation) — took place at the beginning of the month.
Saturday’s show opened with a performance by veteran singer Dewi Gita who sang "Sang Penari" (The Dancer), the single that shot her to fame.
“The song I just performed is from my first album, Sang Penari. The instrument is bit different because it was re-arranged by Erwin Gutawa,” Dewi told The Jakarta Post during the event.
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Accompanied by traditional ensemble music by Gamelan Irama Kesatria, which consist of Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation's own team members, Dewi continued her performance with the songs "Stasiun Balapan" (Balapan Station) from famous Indonesian maestro Didi Kempot and "Cintaku" (My Love) from legendary singer Chrisye.
The stage later heated up when legendary Indonesian comedian and singer Laila Sari was invited to collaborate with Dewi on the song "Marilah Kemari" (Come Here). The two singers encouraged the audience to sing along with them.
Renitasari Adrian, program director of Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation, said the event chose to highlight traditional music’s ability to create beautiful harmony when it is played with other musical instruments.
“Usually we [the team] are the ones who arrange the performers on this stage. But now, we arrange ourselves to perform,” Renitasari said.
“We are also proud to announce that we will open another platform for Central Java artists to express themselves, which is Taman Indonesia Kaya in Semarang,” she added. (adh/kes)
