Surakarta Laymen Take Care of Culture

Initially, they would go to the studio just to take their children to learn to dance. However, getting used to seeing the children practicing, they began to grow their own interest in it.

KOMPAS/HARIS FIRDAUS

Two women perform Pendet Dance in a performance at the pavilion of Sanggar Semarak Candrakirana in Kerten Village, Laweyan District, Surakarta City, Central Java, Monday (15/3/2021).

Since before the Covid-19 pandemic, while some people hang out for coffee in the afternoon, a number of mothers and young people in Surakarta have been engrossed in a tradition. They are not artists but laypeople who do art for the sake of inner indulgence.

Three female dancers entered the stage carrying a bowl filled with flowers. Once they reached the middle of the stage, they turned around and did head movements to Balinese music. Smiles beamed on their somewhat tense faces.