Chapter 8 The Dance of Rebana Kercing

Abstract

For a long time, the people in the Malay archipelago have created dances for entertainment, ritual ceremonies, and socio-cultural activities. The process of creating the dance is usually based on the sense and spirit of togetherness in the community, where the involvement of its members is crucial. The existence of dance in a communal life has personal, social, and cultural values. On a personal level, dance is the embodiment of the dancer’s expression, closely related to the social values reflecting the role and position in the social life of a person’s community. The choreographed movements and expressions are imbued with inherent social values and beliefs, which the dancers perform consciously or subconsciously.