Indonesia is a country of vast territories located in Southeast Asia and Oceania, with more than seventeen thousand islands scattered between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The world’s largest island country is inhabited by around three hundred ethnic groups speaking more than seven hundred regional languages and following a number of religions. The island of Java is home to the capital city, Jakarta, where in the Tebet district, the dance group of SMP Negeri 115 – Junior High School 115 – was established in 1994. Even though at first it was just a group of young amateurs willing to popularise music, dance and culture of their own country, since the inception they have participated in a number of national and international festivals, e.g. in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, India, China, Turkey, USA, Morocco and Taiwan. The ensemble presents a variety of dances and costumes representative of different Indonesian provinces.
At the Festival the ensemble will perform the following dances: greget jawara (typical of the West Javanese, traditionally referred to as Betawi), saman (originally performed by the Gayo tribe in the region of Aceh lying in the northernmost tip of Sumatra, it is one of the most popular dances, characterised by its fast-paced rhythm and harmony between the dancers, officially recognised by UNESCO as a ‘Masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity’), yapong (a welcoming dance of joy from Central Java), enggang (a dance of the Dayak tribe from East Borneo related to the hornbill bird), balian (a shamanic dance from West Borneo).
Ayu Wiranti is the ensemble leader, instructor and choreographer. The musical band will be playing a saron, a kenong (pitched percussion instruments), a tambur (a drum), a suiling (a bamboo flute), a tamborin, a gendang (a two-headed drum).
At the Festival the ensemble will perform the following dances: greget jawara (typical of the West Javanese, traditionally referred to as Betawi), saman (originally performed by the Gayo tribe in the region of Aceh lying in the northernmost tip of Sumatra, it is one of the most popular dances, characterised by its fast-paced rhythm and harmony between the dancers, officially recognised by UNESCO as a ‘Masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity’), yapong (a welcoming dance of joy from Central Java), enggang (a dance of the Dayak tribe from East Borneo related to the hornbill bird), balian (a shamanic dance from West Borneo).
Ayu Wiranti is the ensemble leader, instructor and choreographer. The musical band will be playing a saron, a kenong (pitched percussion instruments), a tambur (a drum), a suiling (a bamboo flute), a tamborin, a gendang (a two-headed drum).