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HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SUMATRAN DANCING

Like the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese dances, described above, sumatran dancing too has developed in the course of time, accordance with the development of the society supporting it.

The accompanying musical instruments are rebanas or tambourines. This dance shows the skill of West Sumatran warriors in military exercises, Their selendang (scarf) is used as a weapon to off blows they throw it quickly to the left and to the right.

THE TOR-TOR DANCE

The Tor-tor Dance is a traditional Batak dance. It originated in the Hindu Indonesian period and was performed to worship the gods and ancestors. It can be danced by either men or women. To worship the gods und the uncestors the dance is performed offerings in the form of food.

THE CANDLE DANCE

The Candle Dance is also called the Saucer Dance because the candies carried by the dancers are placed on saucers. The dance was formerly a traditional dance from Central Sumatra, but it has been modernized into a gay acrobatic dance. It used to be danced
by women because its background is closely related to a woman's life. But as it developed further it was danced by men or by several women and a man.

There are two opinions about the story that serves as a background to this Candle Dance. The first says that the dance describes a young girl already engaged who suddenly loses her engagementring. She is afraid that her parents will be angry with her that her fiance will doubt her faithfulness, so she searches for the lost ring till late at night. After dark she searches with the help of candles carried on the palms of both her hands. The other opinion is that the Candle Dance has a close relationship with the harvesting of

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