T

he Culture and Tourism Ministry is holding a three-day festival to nurture interest in the country’s traditional dances among the younger generation.

The Indonesian traditional art dance festival began on Tuesday and ends on Thursday at Jakarta’s Art Theater (Gedung Kesenian Jakarta).

Dancers from all 33 provinces will perform traditional dances reflecting cultural values of traditions from across Indonesia.

Culture and Tourism Ministry Jero Wacik said in a statement that the festival attempted to introduce the various cultures and traditions of Indonesia, especially to the young people to nurture their love for traditional art.

The minister further said that the festival was expected to unite Indonesians from diverse cultural backgrounds to preserve the nation’s spirit of Unity in Diversity.

“The festival is an attempt to preserve cultural values through art and to nurture centers of traditional dances around the archipelago,” ministry director general for cultural value, art and film Ukus Kuswara said during the festival opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Nungki Kusumastuti, a senior Indonesian dancer who teaches at the Jakarta Art Institute, highly appreciated the festival because it provided space for Indonesian dancers to explore their skills to produce more work and for Indonesian audiences to appreciate dance.

The festival opening was marked by a collaborated dance performed by representatives of each province. During the first day of festival on Tuesday, eight dances — from Central Java, Bengkulu, Banten, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, Gorontalo, Southeast Sulawesi, and Maluku — were performed.

Five female dancers with broomsticks took opened the festival.

They performed the Sapu Jagad dance from Central Java to express the importance of unity in achieving national goals.

Each of the other seven dances scheduled on the first day also delivered local wisdom of each tradition, such as perseverance to struggle for life through the Bakupukul dance from Maluku and respect for women through the Morambanga dance from Central Sulawesi.

In addition to dance, artists will also display publications on their culture and traditions during the three-day festival and participate in discussions to share knowledge of each others’ traditions.

On the final day, a jury will choose the best performers, including best presentation, choreography, music arrangement, artistic style and descriptive writing for cultural and traditional publication.

Professional choreographer Wiwiek Supala said she hoped that the festival would not only preserve Indonesian cultural arts but also further develop a creative art industry to support traditional art in Indonesia. (msa)