The music rhythm of the coupled regions with a modern touch echoed at a shopping center in Karawang Regency, West Java, Sunday (12/10), when about a thousand dancers from various ages appeared in the Indonesia Dance event 2025. This event is a place for dance lovers to show creativity and love for the archipelago culture in an energetic and inclusive packaging.
"The 2025 Indonesian Dance activities will not only be held in Karawang, but will also be held simultaneously in 11 cities throughout Indonesia," said Billy Gamaliel, Program Manager of Indonesia Kaya, on the sidelines of Indonesia's 2025 Dance activities in Karawang, Sunday.
This year, more than 8,000 dancers took part in organizing the Indonesia Dance 2025, which took place simultaneously in 11 cities, namely Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Medan, Makassar, Palembang, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Manado, Bekasi, and Karawang.
The participants came from various backgrounds ranging from students, dance communities, to art studios and millennials who unitedly displayed pride in Indonesian culture. Apart from being a show of ability, this competition is also fighting over the total prizes of tens of millions of rupiah from Indonesia Kaya.
Billy explained that Indonesia Dances not only competition, but also Indonesian performing arts celebrations which are packaged with a modern and interactive approach.
"This event is not just a competition, but also a celebration that revives the richness of Indonesian performing arts through a modern and interactive approach," he said.
In terms of participants, about 8 percent came from age groups over 36 years, while 77 percent of participants were women, far more than 23 percent of men. Surabaya became the city with the highest number of registrants, reaching nearly 9,000 people, while Palembang recorded the largest participant quota among 11 cities with 1,200 dancers.
Billy added, this year the implementation of the Indonesian Dance feels special because it coincides with the celebration of the 12th anniversary of the Indonesia Kaya Gallery, as well as being the 10th edition of the event. Since it was held for the first time in 2012, this activity has consistently been a means of appreciation for the Nusantara dance which is presented in a modern and inclusive manner.
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"This year, Indonesia Dances to be present in the form of group dances consisting of at least five people and a maximum of seven people who can be followed by anyone without age and background restrictions," said Billy.
In this year's rules, all participants are required to wear modern ethnic-themed costumes and present a predetermined choreography, although the floor pattern and composition of movement can be developed according to the creativity of each group.
The special choreography of Indonesia Dancing 2025 is the work of Bathara Maverick Dewantoro, a dancer, choreographer, and director of a wayang drama. In his work, Bathara highlighted the distinctive hand movements of various regions in Indonesia combined with modern musical rhythms.
The dance is accompanied by a medley of eight regional songs rearranged by Alffy Rev, including Sinanggar Tulo (North Sumatra), Kicir-Kicir (DKI Jakarta), Cing Cangkeling (West Java), Anging Mamiri (South Sulawesi), Rek Ayo Rek (East Java), Indung-Indung (East Kalimantan), Si Patokaan (North Sulawesi), and Rasa Sayange (Maluku). This alloy creates a unique harmony between contemporary traditions and music.
The participants appeared simultaneously in two rounds of dance before the jury selected the best group from each zone to appear again on the main stage. The assessment was carried out by representatives of Indonesia Kaya and national dance actors, with the criteria including cohesiveness, floor pattern creativity, choreography, and collective enthusiasm.
After going through the selection process, the Eyes on Us dance group was named the first winner, followed by Neng Ros's team in second place, and Salasika Lawani's team as the third winner.
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