Several Balinese students from the Hindhu Dharma student unit (KMHD) of UGM did the “Love Pendet Dance†campaign. The event was held in front of the Palace (Gedung Agung) in Yogyakarta, Sunday afternoon (30/8). The participants performed the dance 24 times for an hour. Some 40 dancers and 15 gamelan players performed the dance beautifully. They were also wearing traditional Balinese costume and traditional costume of Pendet dancers “Kamenâ€.
In the occasion the students also collected signatures of support to the Dance from Balinese people and pedestrians who passed by the Palace. The signing was done on a long white cloth. According to KMHD Chairman, I Gede Arya Pardita, the event was not to denounce Malaysia who had claimed the dance as part of its culture, but this was to raise nationalism among Indonesian people, especially the young generation.
He said that the signature collected will be submitted to the Tourism Board of Yogyakarta in order that the government will apply for a patent for many kinds of local arts. In that event, the historical background of Pendet dance was also read out. The story was delivered in three languages, in Balinese by Putu Yasa, in Indonesian by I Gede Arya and in English by Mika. The event last more than two hours and attracted many people’s attention that it caused traffic jam.Â