Vice President Gibran Asks For Aura Farming Dances From Pacu Jalan To Be Preserved

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka released the downstream canoe when opening the Path Pacu Festival in the Narosa Bank, Batang Kuantan River, Kuantan Singingi Regency (Kuansing). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Pacu Line Festival in Kuantan Singingi, Riau, this year has attracted public attention again, not only because of the rapid battle of its traditional boat, but also thanks to the appearance of a child dancer in the bow of the boat or what is called a coki. Their energetic action gave birth to the popular dance Aura Farming, which had gone viral to foreign countries.

This phenomenon made Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka speak up. He considered that this trend needed to be maintained so that it would not just go viral for a moment, but continue to be treated as part of Indonesia's cultural heritage.

"The dance has gone viral, it's worldwide, we hope that in the future we can continue to care for this cultural heritage," said Gibran after watching the Path Pacu Festival in the Narosa Bank, Batang Kuantan River, as quoted by ANTARA.

Gibran said that several coki from Kuansing such as Rayyan Arkan Dhika had already appeared on the prestigious stage, including during the celebration of the 80th Indonesian Independence Day at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta. They even had time to meet President Prabowo Subianto, who also appreciated the dance.

In order for this cultural event to become more global, Gibran emphasized the need for infrastructure support and cleanliness of the event location.

"We take care of everything, we keep it clean, we fix it from year to year so we can invite more tourists. Earlier I saw that many ambassadors were also watching. So I think this is an extraordinary event," he said.

This year, 228 lines (spanies) were recorded to be enlivening the competition. The 2025 Pacu Line Festival is also getting more lively with various arts and entertainment performances, one of which is Rayyan Arkan Dhika's special appearance, the dancer boy who has gone viral on social media.

Interestingly, this event also presented a rapper from the United States, Melly Mike, whose song Young Black and Rich is widely used as the background for Pacu Line videos on social media. His presence adds a different feel as well as confirms that local culture can resonate to the international world.