ID :
61442
Wed, 05/20/2009 - 02:13
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/61442
The shortlink copeid
NEWS FOCUS: INDONESIAN ART AND CULTURE MESMERIZE AUDIENCES IN UAE
By Mohammad Anthoni
Jakarta, May 19 (ANTARA) - Indonesian dancers and percussionists mesmerized the crowd in every event they held in the United Arab Emirates as the Southeast Asian nation promotes its art and culture to a wide audience.
The performances have given added value to the entertainment industry thriving in the UAE with poetry, dance and music extravaganzas staged throughout the country but especially in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
In the past three months, the artists have performed at least seven traditional music and dance perfromances, including at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach).
Around 500 people attended the event including ambassadors of some countries accompanied by their families. For the first time the gamelan percussion was performed there.
Several Indonesian dances were performed including Pendhet dance (from Bali), Saman dance (Aceh), Dish dance (West Sumatra), angklung and kulintang instruments, gamelan and puppet shadow show.
Gamelan is a set of percussion instruments feauturing gongs, drums, metallophones and chimes, and is played in an orchestra. Angklung are small to large bamboo instruments each making a single note and can be harmonised like an organ's pipes, or played as an accompanying instrument by a single music player.
The gamelan players were not only from the Indonesian community but also from the British School in Alkhubairat area of Abu Dhabi with nine persons, who learned to play the gamelan for only five hours at the Indonesian embassy under the guidance of Ki Poedijono, a gamelan expert.
Poedijono is a well-known highly respected musician, puppeteer, composer and dancer based in Melbourbne, Australia.
He had been awarded the Order of Australian Medal (OAM) and a similar medal from the Indonesian government for his dedication in promoting Indonesian culture in Australia.
The performance of Indonesian dancers and percussionists was recently held at the Sheikh Zayed Private Academy School for Girls in Abu Dhabi.
Around 300 people attended the event including the school's teachers, staffs and students who mostly are Sheikh relatives.
"The school's management has sent us a format letter asking the artists to perform there after they have attended the previous performances," said M. Wahid Supriyadi, Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE.
According to him, the events are aimed to promote Indonesian art and culture to a wider audience in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and in the other emirates.
"The success of the performances have shown us that more and more people have become familiarized with the Indonesian traditional music and culture in the Gulf country," said Wahid, former consul general in Melbourne.
The local English newspapers like Gulf News, Gulf Today and the National also play roles in disseminating the information.
Apart from traditional music, the embassy has also held a charity event giving Abu Dhabi residents a chance to become acquainted with Indonesian food and culture.
Organised by the Indonesian Embassy and the Indonesian Women's Association, the Indonesian Charity Bazaar and Cultural Performances proved very popular.
Abu Dhabi-based company EMKE Group was interested in holding the Indonesian Festival. By cooperating with the embassy and the Dubai-based Indonesian Trade Promotion Center, the group imports many kinds of Indonesian fruits, vegetables, exotic cuisine and products and displayed in its Lulu Hypermarket outlets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in particular.
Members of the local Indonesian and foreign communities were thrilled to enjoy the traditional food, dances and music in every event. The crowd had a taste of what Indonesia had to offer.
Other foreign visitors said that the events helped them learn more about Indonesian culture.
"Several visits to Indonesia's Bali island with my husband have made me courious about Indonesian culture. So I came here to enjoy it," said Christine Johansen from New Zealand.
There are at least four Indonesian restaurants in Abu Dhabi and Dubai where not only Indonesians but also the local people and expatriates enjoy their meals there.
"The presence of a large number of expatriate communities in the UAE provides a golden opportunity for active cultural exchanges," Wahid said. "They also aim to draw more visitors to Indonesia." ***
Jakarta, May 19 (ANTARA) - Indonesian dancers and percussionists mesmerized the crowd in every event they held in the United Arab Emirates as the Southeast Asian nation promotes its art and culture to a wide audience.
The performances have given added value to the entertainment industry thriving in the UAE with poetry, dance and music extravaganzas staged throughout the country but especially in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
In the past three months, the artists have performed at least seven traditional music and dance perfromances, including at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach).
Around 500 people attended the event including ambassadors of some countries accompanied by their families. For the first time the gamelan percussion was performed there.
Several Indonesian dances were performed including Pendhet dance (from Bali), Saman dance (Aceh), Dish dance (West Sumatra), angklung and kulintang instruments, gamelan and puppet shadow show.
Gamelan is a set of percussion instruments feauturing gongs, drums, metallophones and chimes, and is played in an orchestra. Angklung are small to large bamboo instruments each making a single note and can be harmonised like an organ's pipes, or played as an accompanying instrument by a single music player.
The gamelan players were not only from the Indonesian community but also from the British School in Alkhubairat area of Abu Dhabi with nine persons, who learned to play the gamelan for only five hours at the Indonesian embassy under the guidance of Ki Poedijono, a gamelan expert.
Poedijono is a well-known highly respected musician, puppeteer, composer and dancer based in Melbourbne, Australia.
He had been awarded the Order of Australian Medal (OAM) and a similar medal from the Indonesian government for his dedication in promoting Indonesian culture in Australia.
The performance of Indonesian dancers and percussionists was recently held at the Sheikh Zayed Private Academy School for Girls in Abu Dhabi.
Around 300 people attended the event including the school's teachers, staffs and students who mostly are Sheikh relatives.
"The school's management has sent us a format letter asking the artists to perform there after they have attended the previous performances," said M. Wahid Supriyadi, Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE.
According to him, the events are aimed to promote Indonesian art and culture to a wider audience in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and in the other emirates.
"The success of the performances have shown us that more and more people have become familiarized with the Indonesian traditional music and culture in the Gulf country," said Wahid, former consul general in Melbourne.
The local English newspapers like Gulf News, Gulf Today and the National also play roles in disseminating the information.
Apart from traditional music, the embassy has also held a charity event giving Abu Dhabi residents a chance to become acquainted with Indonesian food and culture.
Organised by the Indonesian Embassy and the Indonesian Women's Association, the Indonesian Charity Bazaar and Cultural Performances proved very popular.
Abu Dhabi-based company EMKE Group was interested in holding the Indonesian Festival. By cooperating with the embassy and the Dubai-based Indonesian Trade Promotion Center, the group imports many kinds of Indonesian fruits, vegetables, exotic cuisine and products and displayed in its Lulu Hypermarket outlets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in particular.
Members of the local Indonesian and foreign communities were thrilled to enjoy the traditional food, dances and music in every event. The crowd had a taste of what Indonesia had to offer.
Other foreign visitors said that the events helped them learn more about Indonesian culture.
"Several visits to Indonesia's Bali island with my husband have made me courious about Indonesian culture. So I came here to enjoy it," said Christine Johansen from New Zealand.
There are at least four Indonesian restaurants in Abu Dhabi and Dubai where not only Indonesians but also the local people and expatriates enjoy their meals there.
"The presence of a large number of expatriate communities in the UAE provides a golden opportunity for active cultural exchanges," Wahid said. "They also aim to draw more visitors to Indonesia." ***
