Five-year-old Alin had been ready for her butterfly dance performance since the early hours of Friday morning. She wore colorful lipstick, blush-on and eye shadow -- all applied by a hired makeup artist.
She sported a pink stretchy leotard, including a tutu, dance shoes and a pair of butterfly wings of matching colors that were speckled with gold glitter.
But there was one thing she was not quite prepared for: cold-feet.
Before the performance, her mother, Tata, 28, lifted Alin on to her lap and whispered calming words of encouragement.
"I think the idea of a crowd frightens her, but she will be fine," Tata told The Jakarta Post.
Alin was among thousands of kindergartners from throughout the city who went to Ancol Dreamland, North Jakarta, on Friday to participate in the annual competition held by the Jakarta chapter of an Indonesian Kindergarten Teachers Association (IGTKI).
The event featured eight contests, including dancing, singing, and drawing.
Two sets of 7,000 children, along with their mothers, nannies and, occasionally, fathers, packed into the Ocean and Water Parks in Ancol.
Nur Hayati, a member of the event's committee and a teacher at Sejahtera kindergarten in Bintaro, South Jakarta, said participation in competitions was good for the children's spiritual growth.
"We want them to have courage in expressing themselves and confidence in their abilities."
Although the contests were solely for kindergartners, parents and teachers were made to sweat in their preparation of the children.
Teachers at Damai kindergarten, for example, rented special costumes for their students participating in the dance event.
"We rented several sets of costumes, but none of them fit the theme of the contest and we don't have time to make new costumes," said Ratna, one of the school's teachers.
The school rented eight sets of costumes and hired a makeup artist for Rp 600,000 (US$65).
"The cost was shared between the school and the teachers," she said.
Damai kindergarten entered four contests in all, and teachers were optimistic about the results before they began.
"We never leave a competition without a prize," Ratna said with pride.
Ida, the mother of 4-year-old Bagas, said her son was happy to join the competition.
"But I know he will be even happier if he wins," she said.
Indifferent to the stifling heat, the children remained focused on the contests and the park attractions, many of them hurrying from a swimming competition arena to get a glimpse of a nearby dolphin show.
A mother, Lia, whose daughter Zahra had participated in a drawing contest, said afterward her family had come for the fun and had explored the water park after the competition.
"The contest finished in the morning so I thought, 'why not use the rest of the day to have fun.' After all, it's free," she said.
IGTKI paid the park entry fees for contestants and their families. (dre)
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