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Rayak-Rayak Sukabumian, Gaul Dance Form Gratitude
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.
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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,
The 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
Preening - Dr. H. Barkah
belief, art, law, morals, skills and habits acquired by humans as members of society. Therefore, we cannot “play” with culture.
From our experience as actors of traditional arts in particular, which is part of culture, culture cannot be separated from human who lives in groups, socializes in this world. Culture is an identity that is closely related to human social life. Culture also reflects the life, guidance, customs, arts and teachings that are firmly held by the social group.
This country is rich in cultural treasures. Even Indonesia is dubbed a cultural superpower. This is reflected by thousands of islands and hundreds of ethnic groups, becoming a museum of high value civilization. This condition is not just pride, but a task that must be carried and done, namely a real task to explore, revitalize, foster and develop this potential. Cultural wealth that is not ‘guarded, fostered, and preserved’ will be lost in time, buried in the exposure of other cultures that come from outside Indonesia.
West Java and Indonesia Assets
The Rayak-rayak Sukabumian, one of the cultural treasures of the City of Sukabumi, are an asset of West Java as well as an Indonesian asset that needs to be ‘guarded, fostered, and preserved’. As part of the artistic treasures, Rayakrayak Sukabumian has high artistic values and is rich in wisdom and noble character, especially how to get along with young boys and girls. If this dance is not appreciated, even extinct, then the cultural arts wisdom that exists in the Rayak-rayak Sukabumian Dance will also be lost.
The 200-year-old Rayak-rayak Sukabumians have become the prima donna of performing arts on stage celebrations, wedding celebrations, circumcisions, plantation events, and others. The dance was still often performed until the 1980s. However, as television broadcasts entered various parts of Sukabumi, this dance gradually could no longer be found on the entertainment stages. Through conservation carried out by the Art and Institutional Development Section of the Cultural Sector of the Sukabumi City Education and Culture Office, the Gaya Gita Studio community, supported by art practitioners in Sukabumi City, had the opportunity to reconstruct the dance. This is a real effort of concern for art policy makers who are supported by the Sukabumi City government to preserve traditional arts that are almost extinct.
The form of the performance that we present certainly develops from the previous one, and adapts to current conditions. This Rayak-rayak Sukabumian dance is to present a positive image of Sukabumi City and we present it in a show that is included in the West Java activity calendar, regional economic recovery in 2021 (Dr H Barkah, Lecturer
