Geol Dance, a Reflection of Banjarnegara Traditions

Kompas/Megandika Wicaksono

Elementary school students perform the geol dance during the 186th anniversary of Banjarnegara regency in Alun-Alun Banjarnegara, Tuesday (22/8). This dance features a number of different movements such as farming activity, kuda kepang, topeng Dieng and also praying and showing gratitude to God.

The sun was scorching. At the Banjarnegara Town Square on Tuesday (22/8/2017), some 1,000 elementary school girls wearing traditional attire and with hair buns and jasmine flower accessories were preparing to perform the geol dance. The dynamic dance was a reflection of Banjarnegara traditions.

The dance was performed to mark the arrival of the regent and his group, along with a parade of the region’s emblem banners and seven gunungan (cone-shaped offerings), at the 186^th anniversary of Banjarnegara regency in Central Java.

The sounds of Javanese tunes reverberated from the several loud speakers in the town square. Thousands of locals filled the square, located in front of the Pendopo Dipayudha Adi Graha building in Banjarnegara.

At the beginning of their 15-minute dance, the dancers stood upright, bent their legs a little bit and placed their hands on their chests while holding the tip of their shawls. Afterward, the dancers swirled while lifting their left hand with a forward-backward movement in line with the sounds of the traditional gamelan orchestra.

Next, they placed their left hand on their chest and waved with their right hand. They do this move while they swirled and swayed their hips shyly.

In one harmonious move, the dancers moved their right hand as if they were picking up a handful of rice seeds and then sowing them on the soil. At one point, the dancers waved their hands in the air as if driving small birds away.

“The first move was about agriculture, namely growing rice and driving away birds which are pests for farmers,” said Supri, the manager of Ibu Supri dance studio in Blambangan, Bawang district, Banjarnegara.

The following moves, she said, were about ujungan, a traditional dance and a prayer for rain. This was marked by the whipping movement, which was followed by a kuda kepang (bamboo-horse dance) theme, locally known as embeg. The dance move was followed with the lenggeran theme, the Dieng mask theme and was finally closed with a praying them, namely by putting both hands together in front of the chest as a sign of gratitude and worship toward God.

Cultural identity

Banjarnegara Mass geol dance coordinator Aziz Purwanto said the six themes in the moves of the geol dance were a form of Banjarnegara people’s cultural wealth and identity.

“There is an agricultural theme there as we are an agrarian society. There is the ujungan dance, kuda kepang, lenggeran dance, Dieng mask dance and a praying theme. All of these are mixed together. The philosophy is to mix everything we have in Banjarnegara,” Aziz said.

According to him, the dance was initiated and prepared by a number of teachers in the Banjarnegara Regency Arts and Culture Teachers’ Assembly. The dance has been included in the local elementary school curriculum since 2012-2013.

“The dance is a local content for elementary school students to motivate the younger generations to learn about local culture,” said Aziz, who heads the secondary education division at Banjarnegara’s Education, Youth and Sports Agency.

Aziz said the dance was named geol to make it easier for people to remember as well as to reflect the dance’s dynamic, energetic and spirited moves. This is what the local teachers wish to instill in the younger generation.

Anisa, Sifa and Ines, all 11-year-old sixth-graders at SDN 1 Beji public elementary school in Pandanarum district, Banjarnegara, were enthusiastically participating in the Geol dance.

“We have trained for two months for the mass dance. The moves are easy, there was nothing difficult,

Anisa said.

Straw festival

The agrarian theme was also evident in the handful of straw-themed arts installations presented at the Straw Festival in Banjarnegara on Saturday (26/8). There were 10 two-meter-high straw installations including two baskets, a woodpecker, a stork, the Arjuna Dieng temple, a shark, a caterpillar, a tank, a cannon and a Papua traditional house.

“This is a form of our concern for the environment. Usually, farmers burn straw after harvest. Now, the straw is turned into art installations. Farmers are also asked to make compost from straw,” said Straw Festival initiator Arianto.

Head of Local Culture and Tourism Research Center at University of General Soedirman’s Research and Community Service Center, Rawuh Edi Priyono, said in Purwokerto that local arts and traditions reflected local socio-culture life. This must serve as local pride.

“Banyumas, including Banjarnegara, has an agrarian culture. In the everyday life, this is expressed in art forms, including dances,” Rawuh said.

Rawuh said that local farmers performed the ujungan, a ritual dance where performers whip each other, to pray for rain in the dry season. “I’m not sure if it’s luck or something else, but there will be rain afterwards. This is an expression of prayer,” he said.

In the context of today’s social life, Rawuh said the younger generation tended to be overexposed to foreign cultures. “The link connecting the younger generation to local traditions has been cut off. This is despite our need to preserve local traditions and introduce them to the younger people here. Introducing local dances and art forms in a massive way is positive. This also functions as a shield to protect the younger generations’ character and eastern culture,” he said.