In an attempt to preserve the Indonesian Cultures, the Electric Gamelan (E-Gamelan) community at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) hosted the Dinus Gamelan and Traditional Dance Audition (D’Agaksara). The fact that the Indonesian culture began to fade away was the background of this event. Through this event, millennials were pushed to preserve Indonesian cultures instead of foreign ones.
D’Agaksara took place in the courtyard of the Baitul Ilmi Mosque, with a hundred participants attemding the event. Those participants were mainly grouped into 14 teams from many different high schools in Central Java. Unlike previous years, the contest was divided into three categories, including Gamelan, Traditional Dance, and Traditional Javanese Singing Competitions. In addition, there were also three judges at the audition, namely, an art teacher from an art school in Semarang, an artist, and the instructor of the E-Gamelanku Unit at Udinus.
Akmal Jovan, the head of the committee, explained that there were several assessment criteria at the contest. In the Gamelan category, there were three criteria, encompassing solidarity, movement, and presentation. Similar to Gamelan, the traditional dance category also included three criteria, namely, face expressions, solidarity, and presentation. As for the Traditional Singing category, there was only one criterion, namely, the vocal technique.
“This event is aimed at millennials for them to show the beauty of Indonesian cultures, both Javanese and non-Javanese ones. Every performance featured at the event managed to spark enthusiasm and joy within the audience,” he explained.
The Vice Chancellor III of Student Affairs, Dr. Kusni Ingsih, M.M., stated that cultural preservation was necessary, especially for high school students. According to her, students should prioritize learning about local cultures instead of Western ones. Furthermore, she hoped all participants would implement this principle and keep developing Indonesian culture.
“We conduct the cultural preservation through our support for the E-Gamelanku Community, specifically by providing facilities to hone the skill possessed by the community member, as well as providing scholarships for accomplished students, both on national and international levels,” she concluded.
One of the participants, Falionary Pasudiwo, from a high school known as MA N 4 Pekalongan, stated that he was proud to participate in D’Agaksara. According to him, D’Agaksara was entertaining and inspiring. “I myself am proud to participate in this wonderful event because D’Agaksara taught me many things. Not only that, it is also fun and has many benefits to inspire millennials like us,” he uttered.
D'Agaksara is one of many events featured at the 2020 Dinusfest. This festival is an annual agenda consisting of a series of competitions and expos dedicated to high school students. There are 29 kinds of contests, with 3900 students participating in those contests.
In addition to sports, the 2023 Dinusfest was enlivened by other kinds of competitions, including arts and scientific papers. With more than 63 contest categories, the 2023 Dinusfest was participated by 5124 students. Furthermore, there will also be a singer from Jakarta, Denny Caknan, performing for these students on January 29th, 2023. (Humas Udinus/Haris. Foto: Humas Udinus)
