Tari Maluku

Maluku dance originated from Maluku in the eastern part of Indonesia. It is traditionally a war dance but nowadays, people dance it to celebrate their friendships. I think this dance also foster friendships which I can sense during the interview.

The group only has 3 official training sessions to get prepared for the performance. The interview is conducted on the second session and I am awed by how well they performed (taking note that they only started learning one week ago).

From the interview, I know that none of the students have prior experience with Maluku dance. However,they felt that this dance is quite easy to learn. They think that the greatest challenge lies with coordination. There are also fear of getting their legs clamped by the bamboo used for the dance in some students. Nevertheless, they find it interesting and fun.

All the students remarked 'Bagus Sekali!' when asked how they find Ibu Agnes ( their dance instructor).

The project group with their bagus sekali Ibu Agnes.

As for Ibu Agnes, she enjoyed teaching this group of students. She said that this group of students are very creative, with all of them being involved in choreographing the dance steps. She also commented that the students are very good, needing little guidance.

The following are a few photos taken during their training session.

The leg clamp! No, I mean this is the bamboos used for the Maluku dance. It consist of 8 long bamboos, taped together in pairs and 8 short bamboos taped at the end to allow better grip. You could probably imagine how painful it is to get clamped by these poles at your ankle.

Warming up for the dance.

The group preparing to do the head level maluku dance.

There was a lot of laughter and cheers inside the class. It makes me feel like I am in a big family. The students and Ibu Agnes have been very friendly and helped me greatly with my interview.

Terima Kasih!