PERFORMING ARTS
Rayak-Rayak Sukabumian
Gaul Dance The Manifestation of Gratitude
The city of Sukabumi looked boisterous that morning, October 14, 2021, although in fact it could be even more hectic and even more frenetic if there were no restrictions on activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The cheerful and happy expressions of the performers brightened the face of the city. A number of artists, performers, members of the Gaya Gita Sukabumi community, as well as art practitioners from the City of Sukabumi joined in the Rayak-rayak Sukabumian show which was held in the context of regional economic recovery with the title “Rayak-rayak Sukabumian Present a Positive Image of Sukabumi City”, as a part of the traditional art treasures of West Java. The performing arts which are held in an open space are also part of the big celebration of the 2021 National Culture Week, organized by the Directorate General of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
the agrarian culture of the Sukabumi community which maintains modesty. The word Sukabumi itself confirms the existence of reugreug pageuh pepeh rapih. We are always grateful for all His gifts in the forms of abundant harvests, healthy and prosperous communities, mukti (successful) farmers, happy traders, safe, peaceful communities, towong rampog (no robbers), and suda bégal (no theft). As we understand, culture is an important aspect of human life, and culture is the result of the thoughts or minds of cultured humans. We also remember the words of Edward Burnett Tylor (2016:4) which limits the term culture as “the total complexity”, which includes knowledge,
T
he celebration was indeed an effort to preserve West Java’s traditional arts which are included in the ten Cultural Objects of Cultural Promotion, namely art, especially traditional performing arts, whose existence has “slid down” due to
the Covid-19 pandemic. Traditional art performers, in this case in Sukabumi, were greatly affected, or more specifically, did not receive any performance offers. Therefore, with the existence of small, albeit limited, performances, the artists are quite helped. For a broader purpose, this artistic celebration is documented, as well as a means of socialization for today’s young generation. The Rayak-rayak Sukabumian is the mainstay of the city with the motto reugreug pageuh repeh rapih (happiness and inner peace). The word rayak comes from the word ‘réak’, which is originally from éak-éakan (Sundanese), which means cheering. As a form of gratitude and happiness, the pair dance or the rampak wanoja dance is a form of social dance that is not erotic. This is also related to
Dancing, Socializing, and being grateful Dr. H. Barkah
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48 48 INDONESIANA INDONESIANAVOL. VOL.11, 12,2021 2021
