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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.

have survived have undergone modernization; a change either in the dancing or in the background story and purpose. For instance the Gending Sriwijaya Dance used to be a court-dance exclusively performed when the king was in the audience hall and about to carry out the heavy task, but it is now often performed to welcome guests of honour.

TRADITIONAL SUMATRAN DANCES

Since Surnatran dances of the Hindu-Indonesian period have practically disappeared, those which can be grouped under traditional Surnatran dances are the traditional dances from the Islamic period, which are naturally Islamic in nature. Among the traditional Sumatran dances which are still popular are the Gending Sriwijaya Dance, the Seudati Dance, the Indang Dance, the Selendang Dance, the Tor-tor Dance and the Candle Dance.

THE GENDING SRIWIJAYA DANCE

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The name of this dance is taken from the name of the melody accompanying it. The Gending Sriwijaya Dance comes from South Sumatra (the Sriwijaya kingdom) can be danced by two, four, or more ,women. As it is a courr-dance, the costumes used to be very costly, the headcovering and the long nails being made of gold.

The Gending Sriwijaya Dance used to be the state dance for the king of Sriwijaya. If the king was in the audinece-hall with his officials to discuss some important matter, the discussion was preceded by the traditional ceremony of chewing betel. The betel leaves to be chewed by the king were brought in a berel-box carried by a dancer followed by three other woman dancers bearing other equipment for the chewing of betel. The four girls dance in front of. the king while carrying the betel-chewing equipment. When the