Ramayana Academy Trains Dancers and Wiyaga Stichting Gema Rasa from the Netherlands

Melissa Smilisukromo (18) never expected to dance in the Ramayana Ballet Prambanan open air show , watched by hundreds of visitors. The dancer from Rotterdam, Netherlands, admitted it was a new, enjoyable experience, albeit a little nervous.

"I didn't think I'd be nervous. In the final moments, I actually felt like crying. It was very scary. There were so many people watching my performance. And when I was on stage, I was smiling and happy to be here and performing," she explained after performing at Ramayana Open Air Prambanan on Tuesday (August 12, 8).

This is a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding between InJourney Destination Management and Stichting Gema Rasa, a preserver of Javanese arts and culture that is attended by the diaspora in the Netherlands.

This collaboration is part of a strategic effort to strengthen Indonesian traditional arts diplomacy and expand the network for preserving traditional arts, particularly through the involvement of diaspora communities.

The chairman of Stichting Gema Rasa, Ference Wongsokario Nojotaroeno, said that this was an extraordinary opportunity to perform at the Ramayana Ballet Prambanan event. 

"I was completely captivated when I first saw the Ramayana Ballet Prambanan. I hoped to play the gamelan and dance in this performance. And this has come true. It's a dream come true, and I'm so grateful to be a part of it," he explained.

Gema Rasa brought four dancers and eight gamelan players to practice before performing at the Ramayana Open Air performance. The workshop, titled Ramayana Academy, trained the dancers and gamelan players under the direct guidance of Ramayana Prambanan artists.

In this performance, the dancers learn the Cipat Cipit Dance. This seven-minute, traditional Javanese dance depicts the joy of teenagers interacting and building friendships.

Meanwhile, the gamelan players practiced the Cipat-Cipit piece, which featured the Banyumasan Eling-Eling tune. They also practiced the Lancaran Manyar Sewu and Sluku-Sluku Batok pieces.

Ramayana Academy is a platform for talent development by providing traditional arts training for the younger generation, both domestic and international.

Through this workshop given to the diaspora from the Netherlands, Ramayana Academy is expected to preserve Javanese culture while also being an important part of supporting the promotion of traditional Indonesian culture, especially abroad.