Titled “Charming Sounds of Indonesia,” the concert brought around 200 viewers on a trip across the archipelago by showcasing various traditional art performances, including the Javanese gamelan composition Udan Mas, the Gambyong Pareanom dance from Surakarta in Central Java, the Pendet dance from Bali, the Malino dance from South Sulawesi and more.

The concert also presented several Russians artists playing gamelan and performing a jaipong dance.

 

Konser Budaya Indonesia di Tchaikovsky Conservatory, 17.10.2017

A post shared by KBRI MOSKOW (@kbrimoskow) on Oct 18, 2017 at 1:42pm PDT

As reported by Antara news agency on Oct. 19, the Russian performers joined the art team at the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow and were trained under the watchful eye of choreographer Elisabeth Nur Nilasari and gamelan teacher Tri Koyo.

Some of the performers, such as Ekaterina Makanina who performed the jaipong dance, were said to study traditional dances and gamelan through scholarship programs, namely the Darmasiswa and Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship (BSBI).

Read also: Recalling the history of the gamelan

Yuli Ryzhaya was among the performers who learned gamelan at the embassy. She expressed her hopes to further study the traditional music instrument in Indonesia.

The embassy's deputy head of representative, Lasro Simbolon, said the concert only presented a small part of Indonesian culture as well as the friendship between Indonesia and Russia.

Lasro said that like Russia, Indonesia is home to cultural diversity and a plethora of traditional music and dances.

Meanwhile, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory head of international relations, Margarita Karatyagina, said that Russians have a strong interest in Indonesian culture as seen from the concert’s positive turnout.

Karatyagina expressed her hopes to see further collaborations between the two countries in the near future. (jes/kes)