Indonesian Saman Dance Video with Various Modern Song Backgrounds Goes Viral

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A viral video of Saman dance from the Instagram account @akhi_husni has become one of the creative videos many people use by changing the background music.

The dance video’s viral success can be attributed to the awe-inspiring precision and skill of the dancers. Even at high speed, their movements are flawlessly synchronized, never missing a beat.

Netizens were quick to express their joy and excitement, praising the dancers’ harmonization. ‘One wrong step and say goodbye to the head,’ wrote one netizen, encapsulating the thrill of the performance.

“Who’s watching this on repeat like me? sick coordination.” wrote another netizen.

@priyaragu the bobbing gotta be right tho. Song: Hit the bucket produced by @JAPHNA GOLD Video: akhi_husni IG #tune #newmusic #chills ♬ Hit The Bucket – Priya Ragu

The video was also re-uploaded on other social media platforms like Facebook Reel and TikTok. Swiss singer-songwriter Priya Ragu even replaced the background of the saman dance with her upbeat song. Surprisingly, the music fits perfectly with the beat of the men’s body movements in the original video.

Apparently, from the original @akhi_husni account, it was revealed that this dance is a Saman dance from Aceh.

“DARUL MUARRIF lam ateuk Aceh Besar team enlivened the prophet’s maulid in gampong baro ujong batee…” he wrote on Instagram.

Saman dance is indeed one of the pride of the people of Aceh, Indonesia. You could say that it is the most famous Acehnese traditional dance in foreign countries.

Saman Dance (Courtesy: Indonesia Kaya)

No wonder the glory of Saman Dance is included in one of Indonesia’s intangible cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO. This dance is distinctive, with fast and dynamic movements and claps, as well as accompaniment in the form of poems sung by the dancers.

Saman dance has values and philosophies about religion, heroism, brotherhood, and goodwill and strengthens awareness of the historical continuity of the Gayo people in Aceh.

In addition to Saman Dance, which has excellent movement harmonization, there is also Ratoh Jaroe Dance.

Ratoh Jaroe Dance in Sea Games 2018 (Courtesy Liputan6)

At first glance, Ratoh Jaroe Dance looks similar to Saman Dance, even though the two are different. Saman Dance has more prominent body movements, while Ratoh Jaroe Dance is dominant with hand movements combined with body movements.

Ratoh Jaroe dance is usually performed to welcome and entertain important guests in Aceh. This dance aims to raise the spirit of Acehnese women known to be unyielding, brave, and compact with each other.

Aren’t these kinds of traditional dances from Aceh interesting?

Find this article helpful? Check out our other articles from Social Expat for more food and drink recommendations in Indonesia:

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