''Randai'' ( Jawi: رنداي) is a folk theater tradition of the

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...

ethnic group in

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, which incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and the martial art of

silat is the collective term for a class of indigenous martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philip ...

. ''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 A theatre in the round, arena theatre or central staging is a space for theatre in which the audience surrounds the Stage (theatre), stage. Theatre-in-the-round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome, but was not wi ...

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 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 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

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading