The 2019 Embassy Festival was held on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague, the Netherlands from Sept. 6 to 7.

Reog Ponorogo was among the opening performances of the international event, tempo.co reported.

 

 

 

 

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Delegasi kesenian Reyog Ponorogo yang dipimpin langsung oleh Bupati Ponorogo Drs. H. Ipong Muchlissoni mendapat apresiasi luar biasa dalam acara pembukaan Embassy Festival 2019 di Longe Voorhout, Den Haag, Belanda, Jum’at (6/9). Terbukti meskipun Kota Den Haag diguyur hujan tidak membuat masyarakat Den Haag Belanda beralih dari acara Seperti yang di ungkapkan Bupati Ponorogo, Ipong Muchlissoni, pihaknya sangat terkejut melihat antusias masyarakat untuk menyaksikan reyog Ponorogo, meski sedang diguyur hujan tak gentar masyarakat untuk mengalihkan pandangannya ke kesenian asli Ponorogo tersebut. "Hari ini belum acara formal, acara formalnya masih besok, tapi antusiasme masyarakatnya sangat tinggi meski sedang diguyur hujan," ungkapnya, Jum'at (6/9/2019) waktu Deen Haq. Ipong juga menceritakan awalnya tidak ada orang yang melihat, pada waktu kesenian reyog Ponorogo tampil dan suara kendang serta terompet sudah mulai terdengar, masyarakat berbondong-bondong untuk menyaksikan Reyog Ponorogo meski sedang diguyur hujan. "Wah apalagi waktu dadak meraknya muncul, masyarakat semakin rame, kita sempat was was terhadap meraknya kalah kena hujan rusak, tapi alhamdulillah tidak apa-apa, luar biasa antusias masyarakatnya. Mudah-mudahan besok lebih bagus lagi," jelasnya. Dalam rombongan kesenian reyog tersebut, juga melibatkan penari jathil dari warga Indonesia yang tinggal di Belanda. Sebagai informasi Embassy Festival Lange Voorhout 2019 ini diselenggarakan oleh Pemerintah Kota Den Haag Belanda berlangsung pada tanggal 6-7 September 2019 dan diikuti oleh 67 Negara, salah satunya Indonesia dengan menampilkan Kesenian Reyog Ponorogo #FantasticPonorogo #AyoKePonorogo #ponorogo #jawatimur #indonesia

A post shared by DINAS PARIWISATA PONOROGO (@dinaspariwisataponorogo) on Sep 9, 2019 at 9:57pm PDT

The troupe, led by Ponorogo regent Ipong Muchlissoni, performed the traditional masked dance in front of the residents of The Hague.

It took a while for the locals to pay attention to the artists. But once they heard the trumpets and drums, they began to gather and watched the performance. The rain did not stop them from watching the traditional East Javanese dance.

Ipong said the audience got more excited upon seeing the giant dadak merak (tiger head masks).

“We were scared the rain would ruin the masks,” said Ipong, adding that thankfully, everything went well.

Read also: Culturally diverse Cap Go Meh at Jakarta's Chinatown

The performance featured 14 Indonesian and 20 Dutch artists, while the gamelan players came directly from Ponorogo.

The troupe performed traditional dances, including Bujang Ganom, Jathilan and Prabu Kelana Sewandana. But Dadak Merak was the main attraction, with the performers inviting some of the audience members to ride it.

The show managed to impress the crowd as it was not an easy task to carry the 100-kilogram masks.

Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja shared his happiness. He said, “This festival is the right moment to showcase and promote [Indonesian] arts and culture to the international world.”

He also mentioned that the show was fantastic and entertaining with its mystical aura.

In addition to the Reog Ponorogo performance, the Indonesian embassy in The Hague also served Indonesian dishes, such as chicken satay, fried noodles, fried rice and more. (jes/wng)

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