Melinting is one of the traditional Lampungese dances originating from the

Lampung Lampung, officially the Province of Lampung (; ), is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, and a longer border with the provi ...

province,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The Melinting dance was originally called the Cetik Kipas dance. ''The name was later changed to the Melinting dance, reflecting the dance's origin in the Melinting region.'' The name change was at the suggestion of President

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

, who asked the Central Lampung Regional Government to perform the dance at

Istora Senayan Gelora Bung Karno Sports Palace (, abbreviated as ''Istora''), (formerly named ''Istora Senayan'' between 1969 and 2001) is an indoor arena located in Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia. The capacity of the arena after 2018 reope ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

on August 17, 1965. Melinting is a dance inherited from Ratu Melinting, which is estimated to have existed in the sixteenth century. This dance is performed at traditional events when welcoming guests, and the dancers are members of the Queen's family or Melinting nobles. This dance was danced outside a traditional event for the first time in 1930 in Teluk Betung at the invitation of the Resident of Lampung to Pesirah Marga in Lampung.

History

The Melinting dance originates from Lampung, and is thought to have developed since Islam gained a large following in Indonesia. However, this dance is not widely known even among the people of Lampung itself. This dance is one of the relics of the Melinting Kingdom, which was created by Ratu Melinting II in the 16th century. This dance has the meaning of showing how people are grateful for the happiness they have received. In addition, this dance also illustrates the might and majesty of Ratu Meliting in leading the kingdom at that time. Before undergoing a refinement change in 1958, the Melinting Lampung dance was absolutely owned by the royal family of the Queen Melinting Family.

Performance

Form and Movement

The movements in dancing are divided into two categories based on gender, namely male and female. This dance is usually danced by women and men, with a total of 8 dancers consisting of 4 men and 4 women. When dancing, the dancers will be divided into several rounds, namely the opening round (Pembuka), the kugowo queen round, the floating kenui round, and the closing round (Penutup).

Outfit

Islam makes a contribution that affects how dance properties are. The Melinting dance costume for men consists of tapis cloth, a belanga shirt, seretei feathers (Bulu seretei), a fan with free colors, and a gold Skullcap. Meanwhile, the Melinting dance properties for women consist of tapis pepadun, a long-sleeved white

kebaya A kebaya is an upper garment traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Southern Thailand. Kebaya is an upper garment opened at the front that is traditionally made from lightweight fa ...

shirt, bun, singer rolling a yellow veil, jukum fruit, fan with free colors and ruwi bracelet. In addition to property, make-up is very important for Melinting dancers to create the right dancer's face; make-up will influence how the atmosphere is right for dancing the dance.

Music

Melinting dance uses various musical accompaniments typical of the people of Lampung, one of which is ''Kalo Bala''. Besides Kalo Bala, the accompaniment of this dance also often uses

kendang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug language, Tausug/Bajau/Maranao language, Maranao: ''gandang'', Buginese language, Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassarese language, Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by peop ...

gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

, and various other musical instruments. The purpose of the musical accompaniment in the Melinting dance is: * Opening dance * Accompanying the dancers into the performance arena * As a sign of respect for the guests present

References