''Randai'' (
Jawi: رنداي) is a folk theater tradition of the
Minangkabau ethnic group in
West Sumatra
West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...
,
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, ...
, which incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and the martial art of
silat
Silat is the collective term for a class of martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippi ...
. ''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-out 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 a 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.
Gallery
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
See also
*
''Piring'' dance
* ''
Pencak silat
Pencak silat (; in Western writings sometimes spelled "pentjak silat" or phonetically as "penchak silat") is a class of related Indonesian martial arts. In neighbouring countries, the term usually refers to professional competitive silat. It ...
''
References
Further reading
*
Theatrical genres
Theatre of Indonesia
Traditional drama and theatre of Indonesia
Articles containing video clips
Minangkabau dance
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