Budaya Nusantara III Festival Features Dance of Nyimas Melati

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Budaya Nusantara (Archipelago Culture) III Festival in Tangerang City, Banten Province, featured a colossal performance bearing the theme of the struggle of Nyimas Melati on Sunday.

The colossal dance that lasted 45 minutes told the tale of a woman's struggle against the VOC invaders and her efforts in spreading Islam teachings in Tangerang.

"Nyimas Melati was dubbed as the Lioness by the people in Tangerang, because of her determination and courage in fighting the invaders, namely the VOC and spreading Islam in the Tangerang region," said Tangerang Mayor Arief Rachadiono Wismansyah

The colossal dance involved eight studios with 170 dancers from several junior high schools, senior high schools and vocational schools in the city.

Her character was accompanied by three other figures who are well known in Tangerang, including Raden Arya, Arya Santika and Arya Dwi Wangsa, all of whom have their names turned into street names in Tangerang.

Meanwhile, Sultan, who played the role of Raden Arya, said he is proud to be able to depict the character and become a part of the cultural festival.

"I am proud to be able to participate and I rehearsed more than 16 times in a month. It did not exhaust me, rather it made me enthusiastic," he said.

ANTARA