Celebrating Difference through the Parrot Dance Creation

Helloindonesia.id – The Bayan Api dance is a work of Riau art creation that tells of an area called Bagan Siapi-Api. Bagan Siapi-Api is part of the archipelago that is considered important because the region has always been close to the Malacca Strait as a center for international trade activities. Geographically, Bagan Siapi-Api is located at the mouth of the Rokan River, precisely on the north coast of Rokan Hilir Regency. As a meeting place for people of various ethnicities, Bagan Siapi-Api has now become a plural region with diverse ethnicities. However, diversity is able to be maintained with mutual respect and respect for differences.

The diversity of the Bagan Siapi-Api community inspired the birth of a creative dance called bayan api dance. This creative dance, which adopts a movement in the Rokan Hilir sapin dance, combines several cultural elements in the area, namely Chinese, Javanese and Malay cultures. The influence of these three cultures can be seen in the aesthetic elements that make up the dance creation, such as the music and clothing worn, as well as on the use of fire parrots symbolized by dragon masks.

Dragons in Chinese culture have a special place, in addition to being considered a god, dragons are also believed to be emperors capable of bringing good luck. The use of the dragon symbol is a message to be conveyed in the creation of this creation, that the diversity of ethnicity in Bagan Siapi-Api needs to be maintained as a tradition and national characteristic as a Pancasila state, so that peace can be created and prosperity can be realized.

In general, the dance of the creation of the parrot fire is indeed worked on to be performed by many dancers, both by women and men or the merging of the two. The dancers generally wear Malay traditional clothing that has been modified in several parts. This modification combines several local elements of Java and China. The Javanese element is seen in the use of scarves tied to the waist. Shawl is a common characteristic in the appearance of Javanese dancers. The shawl is then combined with a gold-patterned songket riau.

While the make-up used in the creation of this creative art is made in such a way that it thickens the look on the face. Men wear thick mustaches, while on women the eyebrows are made thick and colorful so they look charming. From the arable music, although it has been influenced by modern musical instruments, the characteristics of Malay communal music still feels thick to be heard.

The combination of various ethnicity elements in bayan dance not only shows the beauty of an art performance. More than that, bayan dance also shows how beautiful togetherness among the many differences. A distinctive communal feature of the Indonesian archipelago that has long been accustomed to living in diversity.

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