JP/Markus Makur Getting older has never dampened Yoseph Ugis’s spirit to keep promoting culture and nature tourism in Greater Manggarai, particularly West Manggarai regency, West Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).           

The 74-year-old man demonstrates Caci dance, which is unique to the people of Greater Manggarai (East Manggarai, Manggarai and West Manggarai), and presents West Manggarai songs, whenever local and foreign tourists visit Sanggar Compang Toe, his dance studio in Melo hamlet, Mbeliling, West Manggarai.

Yoseph has been actively involved with the preservation of the Manggarai dance for decades by performing the Caci dance for visitors of Labuan Bajo,West Manggarai’s capital, Komodo and Rinca Islands with their Komodo dragons and Mbeliling forest reserve with its endemic birds of Flores.

Tourists h...