Balingka, Jorong Kotohilalang was visited by a dancer from the world metropolis of New York, United States.
Jennifer Rose a professional dancer who became an established dancer in one of the leading contemporary dance groups in the United States Shen Wei Dance Company arrived at Nagari Balingka, Jorong Kotohilalang District IV Koto, Agam Regency, West Sumatra on Wednesday (07/26/2017) at 15.00 WIB
This visit was part of the Marsini Cultural Community Foundation’s activity program and Jennifer’s presence with her friends from the Black and White Art Community – Padang Panjang was an appreciation for MKBB who welcomed Jennifer’s presence very kindly.
The speech of the Pasambahan Dance by the children of the Balingka Cultural Community Marsini (MKBB) moved Jennifer, also attended by Penghulu adat Suryadi Dt. Malano, Fauzan Ismail SHI, PKK chairman Elly Yarsi and the newly elected Wali Nagari in Balingka, Mr. Armen.
What’s wrong with Jennifer Rose’s visit? Here’s the info.
Jennifer’s source said “Jennifer visited Balingka because she wanted to meet Mas Indra” as the choreographer and dancer who has been wandering in Jakarta for a long time, besides also wanting to see Balingka rural nature and its Cultural Arts.
To Balingka is part of a series of other visits, previously Jennifer’s group with the Padang Panjang Black and White Art Community saw the scenery at Puncak Lawang and continued to Balingka, Jennifer will also perform dance performances with ISI Padang Panjang students on the night (26/7/2017) and will continue her journey to West Java for her performance program with Madura artist TransBodyCultural #2 at Singkong Art Space July 29-August 2, 2017.
While Indra Zubir, choreographer and dancer, is running the activities of the Marsini Cultural Community Foundation in Balingka, conducting training and coaching a new generation of Minangkabau Performing Arts called Marsini Komunitas Budaya (MKB) Balingka and has been going on since June 3, 2017 in Kotohilalang.
MKB is under the auspices of Yayasan Marsini Komunitas Budaya and headquartered in South Jakarta. Already has branches in several cities in Indonesia such as: Solo, Kupang, Surabaya, and others. Aims to educate and nurture elementary school children from the age of 7 to 13 years to re-learn their Cultural Arts.
Indra, who is a native son of Balingka said, “Currently there is a Jorong Kotohilalang randai activity that is still going on once a day for all ages in this village and we MKBB specifically for elementary school children, fostering regeneration and training three times a week,” said Indra.
Known as a choreographer and dancer of Indonesian contemporary dance, Indra Zubir studied at the Jakarta Institute of the Arts, Faculty of Performing Arts, Department of Dance from 1995. Last year 2016 he was invited to perform his contemporary dance performance based on Minangkabau culture entitled BUAI in the Setouchi Triannale 2016 event, Asia Performing Arts Market in Setouchi (APAMS) 2016 on 3 Seto Island Sea, Kagawa – Japan supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia.
Indra chose Balingka when he was offered by the Marsini Cultural Community Foundation in Jakarta to foster elementary school children in West Sumatra, “I chose Nagari Balingka because in this village the regeneration of cultural arts activists began to worry”, said Indra.
“In the past, when the satellite dish had not entered this village, performing arts activities were very active, including dance, music and randai which was once known as Tonel art, since the satellite dish entered this village, people began to leave Performing Arts activities and spent a lot of time watching television. The influence of this technology then makes performing arts activities slowly dim and forgotten by his generation, plus now with the influence of gadgets, “continued Indra.
“The successor of the Balingka plate dance that I know today is only 1 person, namely Mr. Yusral Dt. Bahano Kayo, we once invited him to dance the plate dance and I was very impressed with his distinctive movements,” said Indra again.
And this plate dance is also the reason for Jennifer to come to visit Nagari Balingka Jorong Kotohilalang, “I also want to see plate dance” said Jennifer who had watched the balingka plate dance, pasambahan dance, randai and silat performed by the children of Marsini Balingka Cultural Community (MKBB) assisted by Indra Zubir.
