''Randai'' ( Jawi: رنداي) is a folk theater tradition of the Minangkabau ethnic group in

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

, which incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and the martial art of silat. ''Randai'' is usually performed for traditional ceremonies and festivals, and complex stories may span a number of nights. It is performed as a theatre-in-the-round to achieve an equality and unity between audience members and the performers. ''Randai'' performances are a synthesis of alternating martial arts dances, songs, and acted scenes. Stories are delivered by both the acting and the singing and are mostly based upon Minangkabau legends and folktales. ''Randai'' originated early in the 20th century out of fusion of local martial arts, story-telling and other performance traditions. Men originally played both the male and female characters in the story, but since the 1960s women have also participated.

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File:KITLV - 151106 - Demmeni, J. - Martial arts, probably randai, on Sumatra's west coast - circa 1910.tif File:KITLV A785 - Randai-demonstratie te Djambi, KITLV 88853.tiff File:KITLV A416 - Pancak silek bewegingen in een randai voorstelling op Sumatra 's Westkust, KITLV 53364.tiff File:Randai.jpg File:Randai Seni Pertunjukan.jpg File:Randai Seni Pertunjukan 2.jpg

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Further reading