Indonesia is known as a country that has various kinds of traditional art heritage, one of which is dance. A dance that is quite famous from South Sulawesi and is even still being performed today is the Pakarena Fan Dance.
The origin of Pakarena fan dance
Pakarena fan dance is taken from the name Pakarena which means playing, this is because this dance is performed by playing a fan. The origin of this dance is from South Sulawesi, precisely in the Gowa area. This dance was originally a hereditary legacy from the Kingdom of Gowa and is still preserved today.
Actually it is not known exactly how the creation of the Pasarena fan dance started. However, based on the myth that is believed by the community around this dance, it emerged because of the separation between the inhabitants of Heaven and the inhabitants of the Earth.
So that when they were about to separate in ancient times, the inhabitants of Khayangan taught them several things to live their daily lives, for example raising livestock, farming and hunting.
Myth reveals that the Khayangan teaches these things through the movements in the dance. So that the inhabitants of the Earth use the dance as a routine traditional ritual to perform.
Pakarena Fan Dance Performance
So, when is this dance performed? Actually there are several circumstances and the right time to perform this dance, one of which is during traditional ceremonies. The people of Gowa consider that if they perform this dance during traditional ceremonies, it will be a sign of gratitude for all the things they have obtained so far.
This dance is often performed by five to seven female dancers. The costumes they use reflect Gowa women who are polite, gentle, obedient and affectionate.
One of the movements in this dance is a movement that is carried out clockwise which shows the life cycle that humans go through. In addition, there is also a movement that symbolizes the wheel of human life, which goes up and down, sometimes above and sometimes below.
This dance is usually performed accompanied by traditional music games, namely Gandrang Pakarena and flute. Generally there are seven people who play these traditional musical instruments.
If the dance is showing the side of women, then Gandrang Pakarena will show the side of men. Gandrang Pakarena also reflects the Gowa man who has a tough and firm nature.
Although times have developed rapidly, until now this dance is still performed at various traditional events and entertainment events. The performance of this dance in an entertainment program aims to show the typical arts of South Sulawesi.
In addition to wearing attractive clothes, the dancers also use various accessories. For example, gold pins, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.
