Randai Dance from Minangkabau

Delivering the message from the traditional leader to his people, at harvest celebration
and traditional gathering.

On mid November 2009, in Berlin, Germany, winter covered
that one European capital city. Twenty multi-racial
students performed the Randai dance in a performance
building in Berlin.

This was one of the Dayang Daini motion-recite that they performed.
After the Dayang Daini recitation was read, the dancers, aligned in two
rows, entered the centre of an open field, rhythmically clapping their
hands. Left foot in front, right foot in back, and the two legs were put
agape. The body was slanted to the right, head faced to the front, and after
the music finished, the clapping of their hands were fast-phased.

After paying respect to the audience, the dancer then walked into circle
and stroke their Galembong (pants), marking the commencement of the
story.

Spectators crowded the building of 300 seats capacity. After one
hour, the show finished. They were warmly cheered for. They were
students of Ballet School Berlin, Germany and children of the Indonesian
Embassy employees in Germany.

Before the performance, Elindra Yetti, a dancer and also lecturer for the
Dance Art major in Jakarta State University, gave the Randai dance lessons
in a brief workshop. “They were quite fast learning Randai because
of their ballet dancing background,” explained Elindra, 42 years old. Besides
the performance in Berlin, the art mission in the framework of education
from Indonesia also performed in Frankfurt.

Randai dance is one of the randai arts, traditional art that grew and developed
in Minangkabau, West Sumatera. This art was developed from
pencak silat (traditional martial art) which existed since the Islamization
period in West Sumatera. In its application, this art combined several art
branches, such as: dance, theatre, fine and music.

The art that was developed from pencak silat, has lots of elements: the
story, dance (pencak silat), recitation, music and fine-art. All elements are
shown in the Randai performance.

To the people of Padang who are mostly Muslims, pencak silat is a routine
activity that is performed after the evening Qoran recitation (mengaji). In
the past, this pencak silat routine is done by men. After working all day in
the cropland or paddy-field, at the evening time they would recite Qoran
in the surau (little mosque), and afterwards practice pencak silat. “Every
man in Minangkabau must be able to do self defence,” said Elindra.

As many of other traditional arts in Minangkabau, the performance is art
always done by men. It is because almost all of the traditional arts were
developed from pencak silat. It so happen that it is men who practice the
silat. ”Even though there is a female character, it will be played by man
who wears woman dress,” uttered Elindra.