The dance is done by a group of people forming a
line accompanied by a music player. Originally, the group was exclusively male,
but it is now more common to see female Saman dancers. The music player plays
percussion instrument, such as kendang, and leads the song before it is followed by the
dancers. The music contains various verses with folk and Islamic
elements, both of which can be fully sung or not depending on the performer's
decision. A short song (which leads to a short dance) can last for
approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
A typical Saman performance is usually
constituted of the followings elements: After a brief greeting from the music
player, the dancers enters the stage and immediately form a single line while
sitting in a form equivalent to the Japanese seiza. The song then
starts to play, with the lyric at the beginning commonly telling the generals
of Gayo
culture at medium pace. The dancers then begin to move their hands in a rhythmic
manner, following the movements while singing as their music player does. As
the dance progress, the movement is also performed with arms, head, and the
general upper body. Also, the pace becomes faster, and the seat position may
change. The key element here is that every player must move at the same time,
creating a homogeneous, continuous, line of movement that are often described
as the defining feature of Saman dance. As the music became faster and the
movement more energetic, the music will abruptly end, and the players exit the
stage.
On November 24, 2011, UNESCO
officially recognized Aceh's traditional Saman dance as an "intangible
element of world cultural heritage", which needs UNESCO's urgent
protection.
The ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) named Saman dance as the
best ASEAN cultural preservation effort at the 25th ASEANTA Awards for
Excellence 2012.
sumber: wikipedia.org
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