Jaipong Dance "Energetic Dance from West Java"

Jaipongan, also known as Jaipong, is a popular traditional dance of Sundanese People, West Java, Indonesia. The dance was created by Gugum Gumbira, based on traditional Sundanese Ketuk Tilu music and Pencak Silat movements.

Dance Background

In 1961, Indonesian President Sukarno prohibited rock and roll and other western genres of music, and challenged Indonesian musicians to revive the indigenous arts. The name jaipongan came from people mimicking of the sounds created by some of the drums in the ensemble. Audiences were often heard shouting jaipong after specific sections of rhythmic music were played. Jaipongan debuted in 1974 when Gugum Gumbira and his gamelan and dancers first performed in public.

The most widely available album of Jaipongan outside of Indonesia is Tonggeret by singer Idjah Hadidjah and Gugum Gumbira's
Jugala orchestra, released in 1987, and re-released as West Java: Sundanese Jaipong and other Popular Music by Nanesuch/Elektra Records.

Source : http://indonesianparadise.net

Photographed by Hury Anggoro S

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Unique Mask Dance From Cirebon

Mask dance is a dance which the dancer wearing a mask. The mask has existed in the world since prehistoric times. Widely used in dance as part of ceremonies or retelling ancient stories of the ancestors. It is believed that the mask is closely related to the ancestral spirits are considered to be interpretations of the gods. In some tribes,the mask still adorn the various art activities and daily customs.

( Image Source : suog.co )

The classic story of Ramayana and the growing standard of stories since hundreds years ago became the main inspiration in the creation of masks in Java. Masks in Javacreated for staging the Ballet tells the story of the classic stories.

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