TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Gamelan, traditional dances captivate audience in Russia
Change Size
The two-hour long concert showcased gamelan compositions from Java as well as various traditional dances from North Sumatra, West Sumatra, West Java, Central Java and South Sulawesi. (Shutterstock/-)
A concert showcasing gamelan and traditional dances was held at the Vladimir and Suzdal Museum in Suzdal, Russia, on Saturday.
Similar to the “Charming Sounds of Indonesia” concert on Oct. 17 at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in the Russian capital, the show featured Russian performers who had joined the art team at the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow and were trained under the watchful eyes of choreographer Elisabeth Nur Nilasari and gamelan teacher Tri Koyo.
The two-hour long concert showcased gamelan compositions from Java as well as various traditional dances from North Sumatra, West Sumatra, West Java, Central Java and South Sulawesi.
Antara news agency reported that the audience members were glued to their seats throughout the concert. As “Gemu Fa Mi Re,” a dance song from East Nusa Tenggara, was performed at the end of the event, audience members enthusiastically danced some of the moves.
Read also: Russians perform gamelan, ‘jaipong’ dance in Moscow
The museum's director general, Igor Konyshev, said that the art performance left a strong impression on the residents of Suzdal, as it was a rare opportunity for them to see Indonesia's cultural diversity.
The event was part of Indonesian Cultural Day in Suzdal, which kicked off with a workshop featuring traditional Indonesian dance and gamelan. Helmed by Darmawan Suparno, a coordinator for the social and culture department at the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, the workshop was attended by students from dance and music schools in Suzdal.
Indonesian Ambassador to Russia and the Republic of Belarus M. Wahid Supriyadi said that Indonesian Cultural Day, which was held in several areas in Russia, including Suzdal, was part of a greater effort to introduce Indonesia to Russians.
He mentioned that the two countries had a good relationship politically, economically and socioculturally and that, as Russians get to know Indonesia better, the number of Russian tourists visiting Indonesia would increase.
Over 81,000 tourists from Russia reportedly visited Indonesia in September, a 52 percent increase from a similar period last year. (jes/kes)
