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Talk of the week: RI college students win in Global Female Folkdance Competition
Dazzling smiles: Indonesian students in India pose after winning the second place in the 19th Global Female Folkdance Competition and Carnival, held recently in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
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azzling smiles: Indonesian students in India pose after winning the second place in the 19th Global Female Folkdance Competition and Carnival, held recently in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. (Courtesy of kemlu.go.id)
Indonesian college students of the Indonesian Student Association in India (PPI-India) have won the second place in the 19th Global Female Folkdance Competition and Carnival in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
The Indonesian team performed the ratoh jaroe dance from Aceh and the gemu famire dance from East Nusa Tenggara with stunning energy and captivating costumes, in the competition staged from Jan. 3-7.
“We’re happy to have a chance to show the cultural heritage of Indonesia at this event, even though we had limited time for preparation given the tight schedule for our exams,” said Cut Dinda Gestri Febrina, a college student from Aceh and manager of the Indonesian dance group.
“We’re grateful that we could perform at our best and won the second prize,” Febrina added. “Hopefully we can win the first prize in next year’s competition.”
The festival, organized by the Charu Castle Foundation, the Indian Ministry of Culture and the UNESCO New Delhi Office, among others, explored the theme of “Unity in Diversity”.
The female dance festival exhibited a range of traditional dances from nine participant countries: Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, India, Indonesia, Egypt, Nepal and Thailand.
Besides preserving traditional cultures, the event also aimed to promote three goals: women’s empowerment, combating discrimination against women and prioritizing education for girls.
“Compared to the previous ones, this year’s cultural event attracted more international participants, making it the biggest event so far,” said Kapur V. Bhan, the chief organizer of the event. “This year is also the first time this festival featured a competition and a carnival.”
The female folkdance festival, furthermore, marked the beginning of Indonesia’s further participation in other festivals. PPI-India is set to take part in cultural events in other states of India this year to promote Indonesia’s rich cultural heritage.
