Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Sanggar Kesenian Aceh (SAKA UGM) dance group scores another achievement. This time, SAKA UGM wins the 6th National Dance Competition PADATARA 2018 as the most favourite group. The competition held on Saturday (5/12) in ICT Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang was joined by 18 dance groups from Central Java and Yogyakarta.
SAKA UGM’s creativity continues to bring them achievement. Previously, SAKA UGM won an international competition as Grand Prix Winner at the 11th International Competition of Folklore, Dance, and Music “Les Etoiles de Paris” 2018 in Paris, France. Even so, unlike the team delegated to France, in this creation dance competition, SAKA UGM Team brought 12 dancers, 4 musicians, and 2 officials.
SAKA UGM’s victory at the 6th National Dance Competition PADATARA 2018 was not an easy achievement. SAKA UGM needed at least one month of preparation to coordinate a creation dance and practice for dancers. At the competition in Semarang, SAKA UGM presented a creation dance, Ratoh Pukat. In fact, Ratoh Pukat is a fusion dance between Ratoh Jaroe and Tarek Pukat dance. Ratoh Jaroe is a harmonious combination between body and hand movements or dance in a sitting position by following the rhythm of the song and musical accompaniment. Meanwhile, Tarek Pukat begins with a typical Aceh dance movement, then continued by linking a rope to each other forming a trawl.
Trainer of SAKA UGM, Fahreza, said that preparation for the competition was quite short. However, the skill and competence of the dancers are good enough to prepare the dance in a limited time. Despite the routine practice, the team made a few mistakes during the performance. Fahreza explained that the dancers took care of the mistakes professionally and continued the dance correctly.
“From this competition, the dancers are expected to learn performing the dance with a happy heart, so they can accept the result happily as well. The title is a mere bonus,” said Fahreza, Tuesday (5/15).