How to do poco dance
6 Indonesian Traditional Dances for You To Enjoy from Home Now
No matter how many times you visit Indonesia, you can’t just get enough of the cultural performances that are a feast for the eyes. During these hard times, the best way to enjoy the Indonesian cultural scene is to watch, listen, and learn about it at home. Traditional Indonesian dances are distinct from each other and reflect the unique philosophies of the ethnic groups. There are 6 traditional dances that look sophisticated, but can be learned easily at home. Catch a glimpse of these traditional dances from Indonesia and get inspired to try out new hobbies and activities at home.
1 | Saman Dance, Aceh
Having originated in Aceh, from a plateau called Gayo, Saman Dance is one of the most famous traditional dances in Indonesia. There are many values, principles, and philosophies of Acehnese imbued in the Saman dance, such as wisdom, faith, manners, heroism, and togetherness. The Saman dance was originally performed to celebrate important occasions of the Acehnese community, such as the celebration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
Saman dance uses two basic movements, hand-clapping and shoulder-clapping, to make body percussion sounds, which are synchronized to create music and look fascinating at the same time. On 24 November 2011, the Saman dance was designated as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humans at the 6th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee.
You can catch a glimpse of the Saman Dance on this YouTube video here and see the magnificence of Aceh culture.
2 | Tor-Tor Dance, Samosir
Tor-Tor Dance is an ancient traditional dance originating from North Sumatra that consists of the of North Tapanuli, Humbang Hasundutan, and Toba Samosir regions. Initially, this dance was usually performed at ritual events such as the ceremony of death, healing, and so forth. According to history, Tor-Tor dance was a part of rituals associated with spirits, which were invoked and “brought forth” into the stone statues that symbolized the ancestors.
Tor-Tor dance is of three types. The first type is Tor-Tor Pangurason (cleanup dance), which is usually performed at a big party. The second type is Tor-Tor Sipitu Cawan (Dance of the Seven Bowls), which is usually performed at the inauguration of a king and depicts the story of the seven daughters of heaven that bathe in a lake at the top of the Pusuk Buhit Mountain. Lastly, there is Tor-Tor Tunggal Panaluan, a cultural ritual dance that is usually performed when a disaster strikes a village.
The movements of Tor-Tor Dance follow the flow of Margondang, the traditional music that accompanies the dance. Tor-Tor dance is no longer associated with religious rites or mystical ceremonies. Nowadays, it’s performed at occasional events like weddings and welcoming ceremonies for visitors.
Take a look at Indonesia.Travel’s YouTube video about the beauty of Lake Toba and its surroundings, and catch a glimpse of the Tor-Tor Dance.
3 | Serimpi Dance, Yogyakarta
Serimpi is a traditional Indonesian dance that dates back to the 12th century.
It originates from the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta and was developed by Pakubuwono IV, the leader of Surakarta Hadiningrat Palace.
The name Serimpi comes from a local term “Srimpi Sangopati”, which means the replacement candidate for a king. The Serimpi dance performance is accompanied by gamelan music, the traditional Javanese music.
The steps of the Serimpi dance consist of gentle movements that carry a mystical touch. This classic dance is performed by four or five women at the most. However, it is also possible to have two, six or eight dancers. An epitome of the elegant character of the royal Javanese court, the Serimpi dance is comprised of soft and slow movements, highly-stylized hands positions, and graceful stances that are accompanied by gamelan music and demonstrate modesty, refinement, and beauty. This video from Indonesia.Travel’s YouTube channel gives you a sneak peek of a Serimpi dance performance.
4 | Kecak, Bali
Known internationally as the “Ramayana monkey chant”, Kecak Dance is a form of Balinese Hindu dance and musical theatrical performed primarily by men in temples and villages across Bali.
Developed during the 1930s in Bali, Indonesia, the dance is considered as one of the most spectacular traditional performances in Indonesia because it is generally performed by a circle of as many as 150 dancers wearing checkered clothes around their waists, chanting "chak" in a percussive manner while moving their hands and arms.
The uniqueness of this dance is that it uses no artificial backdrop or stage and doesn’t involve any musical instrument. It must be performed at sunset, in the open air, usually above a cliff facing the sea, because the performance depends entirely on the natural light of day. As the sun goes down, the story progresses with the orange sky getting darker over time. This dance portrays a battle from the Ramayana, in which the monkey-like warriors known as Vanaras, led by Hanuman, assist Prince Rama in fighting the evil King Ravana.
Many elements of the Kecak dance were inspired from a Balinese ancient ritual called Sanghyang: a form of exorcism to repel evil spirits in which the dancers fall into a state of trance.
The full form of Kecak dance is said to have originated in 1930, after a Balinese Dancer, Wayan Limbak, worked together with a German painter, Walter Spies, to create a dramatic performance version of Sanghyang by incorporating the epic Ramayana saga. Kecak dance performances can be seen at many tourism sites in Bali such as GWK, Uluwatu Temple, and Batubulan, but you can also enjoy a glimpse of this spectacle in this 360 video from Indonesia.Travel’s official website.
5 | Caci Dance, Flores
One of the most well-known traditional art forms of Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Caci dance is a traditional dance performed by two men fighting each other using a whip and a shield. This dance is performed at various events, such as the celebration of the harvest season (hang woja), New Year rituals (penti), and other traditional ceremonies. The dancers usually wear traditional warrior costumes of Manggarai, which includes a head covering (base) and clothing at the bottom while the upper body is left naked.
Caci Dance originates from East Nusa Tenggara’s Manggarai community that had a tradition where men used to have a one-on-one fight to test their valor and ingenuity. This tradition then developed into an art, where there were dance moves, songs, and accompanying music to enhance the spectacle. The name Caci Dance comes from the word 'Ca', which means one, and 'Ci', which means test. Therefore, Caci can be interpreted as a one-on-one dexterity test.
Although it appears to contain elements of violence in it, the core message of this traditional dance is all about peace, which is why it intrinsically displays the spirit of sportsmanship, mutual respect, and problem-solving without holding a grudge. Check out this Caci dance performance video on Indonesia.Travel’s official YouTube Channel.
6 | Poco-Poco Dance, Maluku
Different from the ones mentioned above, the Poco-Poco Dance can be considered as a modern dance because it was developed in 1993, but it also uses many traditional elements in its movements.
It was considered a mass traditional dance rather than an artistic performance.
Poco-Poco Dance originates from the military tradition of morning mass exercise and is accompanied by the song ‘Poco-Poco’ written by a Moluccan musician, Arie Sapulette. After being featured in a program called “Dansa Yo Dansa” (Let’s Dance) on Indonesia’s national television channel (TVRI), the dance gained nationwide popularity. Since then, this dance has been practiced by many Indonesians as a part of their morning exercise routine. Some communities also tried to incorporate their traditional dance steps into the Poco-Poco Dance.
Nowadays, Poco-Poco Dance is usually being performed at cultural celebrations and official national events in Indonesia. In 2018, Indonesia set the Guinness World Record for a mass Poco-Poco Dance. You can learn how to do the Poco-Poco Dance here.
The graceful rhythmic movements of these traditional dances represent the harmony and beauty of Indonesia.
Amaze yourself with the aesthetics of Indonesian culture and learn more about these dances to have fun while you # StayatHome.
Indonesia's Joko Widodo leads poco-poco dance record attempt
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Indonesian president Joko Widodo led some 65,000 of his compatriots in a mass dance through the streets of Jakarta.
Indonesian students perform the Poco-Poco dance in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record. Source: AAP
Indonesian president Joko Widodo led some 65,000 of his compatriots in a mass dance through the streets of Jakarta to promote the Asian Games and try to set a world record along the way.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo joined tens of thousands of people doing the poco-poco on the streets of Jakarta on Sunday to celebrate the upcoming 2018 Asian Games and hopefully break a record.
More than 60,000 people performed the collective dance on the main street. Source: AAP
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Jakarta and the city of Palembang on Sumatra will jointly host Asia's biggest sporting event from August 18 but President Widodo has previously complained about the lack of promotion and enthusiasm in the country.
In a bid to drum up support ahead of the games authorities turned to the poco-poco, a traditional line dance from North Sulawesi province.
Dressed in white and red -- the colour of the Indonesian flag -- President Widodo, his wife Iriana, and several high ranking officials led tens of thousands of Indonesians in a long, snaking line of dancers through the capital.
Organisers hope to break the world record for the largest number of people performing the traditional dance in one place and said 65,000 people took part in Jakarta.
"Poco-poco is the original culture of Indonesia and it's a native dance, so we are now performing a mass Poco-poco dance with 65,000 people setting the world record showing and reiterating Poco-poco belongs to Indonesia," police chief Tito Karnavian who took part in the event said.
Read More
India wrestlers get sponsor boost ahead of Asian Games
Police and military staff, members of parliament, students, members of fitness centres as well as inmates in jails across Indonesia all showed their best Poco-poco moves at the same.
"This a very good opportunity to show that Indonesia is conserving its traditions," high school student Raja Farid Akbar said. "I am happy that I can help promote a tradition that could have been forgotten."
About 11,000 athletes and 5,000 officials from 45 Asian countries are expected to flock to Jakarta and Palembang for the August 18 to September 2 Games, the world's biggest multi-sport event behind the Olympics.
2 min read
Published 6 August 2018 at 5:24am, updated 6 August 2018 at 6:22am
Source: AFP, SBS
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about the benefits and complexity of dancing — Bel.
ru April 19, 2021, 05:33
Photo: Anastasia Torbina/Bel.Ru
Everyone knows the saying that movement is life. And this means that dancing can be safely called life.
Story
Exclusive
Personal experience
I have been dancing since the second grade. Mom always wanted me to have perfect posture and a sense of rhythm. The first one didn't work, but the second one does. Thanks to dancing, I became not only more sensitive, but also open, free, liberated.
I have six years of variety dancing and three years of ballroom dancing. And not the kind that everyone thinks of when they hear the words "ballroom dancing". I did not learn cha-cha-cha, tango and others, I danced polonaise, waltz, various polkas and other types of dances that used to be danced at balls. So I danced at real cadet balls. All the girls had fluffy white dresses, high hairstyles, gloves. The guys were in uniforms.
Yes, it was a wonderful and magical time.
Then I graduated from school, my young man graduated from the Shakhty Cossack Cadet Corps and that's it, the balls came to an end.
Photo: Anastasia Torbina/Bel.Ru
For several years I missed dancing. I wanted movement, energy, drive, but something always prevented me from going to some circle. It seemed that I was already too old to do something like that ... This went on until December last year, when my friend dragged me into a dance studio. There was a group that included girls of different ages. After the first session, I was overwhelmed with energy and positivity. I wanted more and more, although the physical preparation left much to be desired.
Since then I have been attending classes twice a week. Dancing helps to leave all the fuss outside the hall, discard all negativity and give yourself completely to your favorite business. When someone asks me what is the most difficult thing in dancing, I always remember the classics. My teacher, Olga Vasilievna Stroiteleva, strictly watched how we pulled our socks and held our backs.
And I had no choice: I had to do everything, although I always wanted to do something more energetic, and not try to stretch my leg harder.
Folk dancing is not easy either. The difficult element has always been the overtas. This is a movement where the dancer needs to keep balance, spin around his axis, while doing a wide leg swing at the same time. After such training, I didn’t feel like eating for a long time, because everything around was floating and spinning.
In the fourth year of study, we had an open lesson, which was attended by all parents. And one of the elements of the exam was this hated obertas. And how proud I was of myself when I was able to do it and not fall.
Expert opinion
I asked my coaches and professional athletes how they came to dance, what is the most difficult thing for them and what to do if you are a "log" and want to dance.
Elizaveta Grigoryeva
Photo: Anastasia Torbina/Bel.Ru
Elizaveta Grigorieva, was engaged in ballroom dancing, Shakhty
I got into dancing thanks to my parents.
They put me in this industry because I was too energetic a child. Fortunately for them, I was so tired after training that I was calm at home and went to bed on time. But, despite her age (5 years), she chose the type of sports activity herself, since from the age of three she attended ballroom dancing competitions in the city of Shakhty with her family and they could not take me home from there.
I always told my parents that I also want to be like those people on the floor. And in general, there were dancers in our family, as well as many acquaintances who danced, so we already had experience in this business and family love for this sport.
Dances are all different in rhythm, body movement, emotions, body positioning and so on, so I will say this: the most difficult dance is the one that is danced last in the round at competitions, that is, it is either a fast foxtrot or a jive. But in any case, all dances are beautiful and easy for those who have love for them in their hearts.
If you are a log, what should you do? The answer is simple - dance. With my own eyes I saw how a wonderful dancer was made from a "log" and the ear was "set". I myself danced the Latin American program quite woodenly until I was trained in training, so the point is the desire of the dancer, and a competent and good coach will correct all the shortcomings.
Oleg Bogucharsky
Photo: Anastasia Torbina/Bel.Ru
Oleg Bogucharsky, professional dancer, Krasnodar
My parents were dance teachers. My grandmother also taught. And it so happened that I also started dancing from an early age. That being said, it's family. Now I am very glad that it goes from generation to generation. I can't imagine what I would do without dancing.
It is difficult to judge which dance or movement is difficult. For everyone everything is individual. There are two factors involved: physical and psychological. For me, if you take the first factor, it is more difficult to dance folk dances.
There must be good preparation, you must be strong. And if the psychological one is a classic, it is necessary to fully feel your hero in it, to give all of yourself to history.
I think hard training is important in not being a log. Everything always comes with time. Man is a creature that can learn and get used to everything, there would be a desire. If you want to become plastic and graceful, then discard all uncertainty and go to a dance class.
Karina Aksenenko
Photo: Anastasia Torbina/Bel.Ru
Karina Aksenenko, 7 years old coach, Shakhty
It seems that she came to dance by accident, but if you think about it, she always danced. A friend brought me to the dance studio. As a result, she left a month later, and I still dance. As I say: "If you fell in love with dancing once, it's forever."
When you first start, all styles are difficult. But for me, styles that use acrobatics, elements of stretching, flexing, that is, elements that sometimes go beyond dance, are especially difficult.
For example, breakdance, vogue.
I always say that absolutely everyone can dance, it's just that different people need different amounts of time and effort for this. Between do/not do, try/not try, I always choose the answer without the “not” particle. If you want something, be sure to dare, life is one. Dancing is a very whimsical hobby/profession that requires a lot of effort and time. The sooner you start, the more opportunities to succeed in them and achieve results.
#News#Coach#Dance#Mines#Dances#Exclusive#Anastasia Torbina#Society
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“I will dance until my body says no to me” – Kultura – Kommersant
Before the farewell performance AGNES LETESTU answered MARIA SIDELNIKOVA's questions.
Photo: Photo Julien Benhamou/Opera national de Paris
— You said that the stage is a drug for you. How will you live without it?
- My contract has expired. I am 42 years old and I have to retire, regardless of the form. But I don't stop dancing. There are already agreements: I will perform with the Opera troupe, with other theaters as a guest ballerina. I will dance until my body says no to me.
— What does this farewell performance mean to you?
- He draws a line, with him 30 years of my life at the Opera come to an end, if you count along with the school that I entered in 1983. A rich, eventful, happy period. Now another life will begin. I have to vacate my dressing room in the theater, I will no longer have my place here, there will be no performance schedule, there will be more freedom. Priorities will change, life may become less stressful.
- Will there be time for a private life?
— I would not say that work takes away a ballerina's personal life.
If I wanted to plant flowers, I wouldn't have to wait for my pension to do so. Of course, your whole life, your whole schedule is subject to dance. On the eve of the performance, it is better not to go for a walk, not to eat up. But it doesn't require any sacrifice. I have a boyfriend, a dog, a house, a family that loves me. No kids, but that's my choice.
— Besides performing, what will you do?
— Starting this week, I will start rehearsing Sleeping Beauty with the soloists. I am extremely interested in passing on to young ballerinas what I have been taught. How to build a picture, how to show feelings, how to be on stage - strong, affectionate, domineering. They will learn the choreography even without me, they don’t need advice on technique, but understanding the complexity of the image does not come immediately, it takes a lot of work on this. And I will continue to create costumes. This is my parallel work for ten years, as well as private tutoring. When young dancers and ballerinas ask me, I prepare them for competitions, for a gala.
— Will you teach at the Opera Ballet School?
— School doesn't interest me now. I want to work with adult artists. Passing on the stage experience is not the same as teaching a lesson in a classroom. I want to see the continuation of my own work. Yes, I will appear on stage less, I will miss these heady emotions, this magic, but I like to see how the ballerinas I worked with grow. These are completely different feelings, but they are also dear to me.
— Do you remember how you came to the Paris Opera?
— It was 25 years ago, but it seems like yesterday! I can say that everything I dreamed about came true, all expectations were justified. It was difficult, but I was ready for it and was never afraid of difficulties. I knew that my choice of profession was not an easy one. But I never thought time would fly by so fast! I remember when I signed my first contract and they told me that in 25 years you would retire. I just smiled, I thought there was still time.
But it turned out not. Everything went very quickly.
- You got your first big role - Gamzatti in La Bayadère - thanks to Nureyev. How did it happen?
- It was 1992, I was a corps de ballet dancer, by that time I had danced several parts in Balanchine's Prodigal Son, in Petit's Youth and Death, Forsyth chose me for his ballet In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated". But Gamzatti is something else, it is a party for the etoile. And when Nureyev staged La Bayadère, he wanted me to dance this role. But the troupe's corps de ballet has already been divided between performances - La Bayadère and Giselle by Mats Ek were being prepared at the same time, and after the groups have been determined, there should be no transitions. Nureyev was no longer the director of the Opera, no one wanted to make concessions to him. But he resisted, and in the end I got this game, which at that time was not up to my rank. And, of course, she immediately pushed me out of the corps de ballet.
There was a scandal. Jealousy, envy, some constant skirmishes. Success always has a downside. But I am incredibly glad that he chose me and worked with me a lot.
— But after this role, the highest ballet rank — etoi — you had to wait another long five years. Have you ever wanted to leave the Paris Opera?
— I wanted to, just in this period. I was waiting for the nomination, but they did not give me the status of etoali. There were big roles, trips, tours, I was invited to dance all over the world, but I was still the first dancer. At the same time, I was pleased that I was invited not for status, but for my work, that is, to some extent, I was valued abroad more than in my native theater. At that moment, of course, I had my doubts. I asked myself what I was doing wrong, what was my mistake. It was not easy then, but now I understand that I was not nominated for a simple reason: at that time, the general director of the Opera, Yug Gal, decided to reduce the number of étoiles so that this status would really be a brand, something exceptional, and I had to wait for the "star" place to be vacated.
