Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements, or by its historical period or place of origin.
Aceh, formerly Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, is the northernmost and westernmost province-level division of Indonesia. It is located at the tip of Sumatra, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a special autonomous status, Aceh is a religiously conservative territory and the only Indonesian province practicing Sharia officially. There are ten indigenous ethnic groups in this region, the largest being the Acehnese people, accounting for approximately 80% to 90% of the region's population.
Gayo is an Austronesian language spoken by some 100,000 people (2000) in the mountainous region of Aceh around Central Aceh, Bener Meriah and Gayo Lues regencies. It is classified as belonging to the Western Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian languages, but is not closely related to other languages. Ethnologue lists Deret, Lues, Lut, and Serbejadi-Lukup as dialects.
Gayo Lues Regency is a regency in the Aceh Special Region of Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. The regency was created in 2002 under Statute UU 4/2002 from the northern part of Aceh Tenggara. Its capital is Blangkejeren. The regency covers an area of 5,549.91 square kilometres and had a population of 79,560 at the 2010 Census and 99,532 at the 2020 Census. Along with the Central Aceh Regency and the Bener Meriah Regency, it is home to the Gayo people.
Central Aceh Regency is a regency in Aceh Special Region of Indonesia. It is located on Sumatra island. Formerly this regency covered a much larger area; in 1969, the Southeast Aceh Regency was separated from the Central Aceh Regency, and in 2003 the Bener Meriah Regency was separated from the remaining Central Aceh Regency. The remaining regency covers an area of 4,454.04 square kilometres and had a population of 175,527 according to the 2010 census, which rose to 215,576 at the 2020 Census. Most of its inhabitants are Gayo. Central Aceh is famous for its Lake Laut Tawar. Its capital is Takengon, in Lut Tawar District.
Dance in Indonesia reflects the country's diversity of ethnicities and cultures. There are more than 1,300 ethnic groups in Indonesia. Austronesian roots and Melanesian tribal forms are visible, and influences ranging from neighboring Asian and even western styles through colonization. Each ethnic group has its own dances: there are more than 3,000 original dance forms in Indonesia. The old traditions of dance and drama are being preserved in the many dance schools which flourish not only in the courts but also in the modern, government-run or supervised art academies.
Southeast Aceh Regency is a regency in the Aceh special region of Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. In 1974, the Southeast Aceh Regency was created by being separated from the Central Aceh Regency; however in 2002 the northern part of this regency was itself split away to form the new Gayo Lues Regency. The regency now covers an area of 4,242.04 square kilometres and had a population of 179,010 at the 2010 census and 220,860 at the 2020 Census. The seat of the regency government is at the town of Kutacane.
Takengon is a town in Aceh, Indonesia. The town itself sits on three administrative districts of the Central Aceh Regency - Bebesen, Kebayakan, and Lut Tawar, and acts as the seat of Central Aceh Regency. The town is in the highlands of western Sumatra, situated on the shores of Lake Laut Tawar. The region around Takengon is well known for its coffee. The indigenous people in Takengon are the Gayonese people or as they're usually called, "urang Gayo".
Indonesia was the fourth-largest producer of coffee in the world in 2014. Coffee cultivation in Indonesia began in the late 1600s and early 1700s, in the early Dutch colonial period, and has played an important part in the growth of the country. Indonesia is geographically and climatologically well-suited for coffee plantations, near the equator and with numerous interior mountainous regions on its main islands, creating well-suited microclimates for the growth and production of coffee.
Acehnese or Achinese is an Austronesian language natively spoken by the Acehnese people in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia. This language is also spoken by Acehnese descendants in some parts of Malaysia like Yan, in Kedah.
The Acehnese are an ethnic group from Aceh, Indonesia on the northernmost tip of the island of Sumatra. The area has a history of political struggle against the Dutch. The vast majority of the Acehnese people are Muslims. The Acehnese people are also referred to by other names such as Lam Muri, Lambri, Akhir, Achin, Asji, A-tse and Atse. Their language, Acehnese, belongs to the Aceh–Chamic group of Malayo-Polynesian of the Austronesian language family.
Likok Pulo is a traditional dance originating from Aceh, Indonesia. "Likok" means dance moves, while "Pulo" means island. Pulo here refers to a small island at the northern tip of Sumatra Island which is also called Breuh Island, or Beras Island.
The Gayo people are an ethnic group living in the highlands of Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. The Gayo tribe has a population of 336,856 and they live predominantly in the mountains. Most Gayo live in three regencies in Aceh namely Bener Meriah, Central Aceh, and Gayo Lues. Some of them live in several districts in other regencies, such as Serbejadi District, Simpang Jernih District, and Peunaron District in East Aceh Regency and Beutong District in Nagan Raya Regency. Other than that, the Gayo population also covers Southeast Aceh Regency and Aceh Tamiang Regency. Their homeland lies in the Barisan Mountains which has elevations of over 12,000 feet and extends more than one thousand miles. The Gayonese language has four dialects: Lut, Serbejadi-Lukup, Lut and Luwes. Their language does not have a writing system, but folk tales, stories and poetry are passed down in oral tradition. The traditional house of the Gayo is called Umah.
Saman is one of the most popular dances in Indonesia. Its origin is from the Gayo ethnic group from Gayo Lues, Aceh province, Indonesia, and is normally performed to celebrate important occasions. The dance is characterized by its fast-paced rhythm and common harmony between dancers. These two elements are key figures of Saman, and are among the reasons Saman are widely known and practiced in Indonesia, besides being relatively easy to learn.
Alas Tribe is one of the tribes on the Island Of Sumatra & indigenous tribes in the Southeast Aceh district, Kutacane city. The Alas tribe is the main symbol of Gunung Leuser, Ketambe & Alas River tourism.
Deknong Kemalawati is one of the leading poetess of modern Indonesia, chairman of the Art Council Banda Aceh, winner of the Literary Prize of the Government of Aceh.
Acehnese cuisine is the cuisine of the Acehnese people of Aceh in Sumatra, Indonesia. This cuisine is popular and widely known in Indonesia. Arab, Persian, and Indian traders influenced food in Aceh although flavours have substantially changed their original forms. Combination of spices in Acehnese cuisine just as are commonly found in Indian and Arab cuisine, such as ginger, pepper, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and fennel. A variety of Acehnese food is cooked with curry or coconut milk, which is generally combined with meat such as buffalo, beef, goat meat, lamb, mutton, fish, or chicken.
Muhammad Hasan Gayo was an Indonesian politician and journalist from Aceh. He was active in youth guerilla groups during the Indonesian National Revolution, and later worked as a journalist during the Sukarno period.
