Shortly after the host addressed the audience, there was the sound of stomping feet. Apparently, on the west side of the stage, a line of dancers was seen preparing to enter. Then came a man dressed in white in a black vest with ethnic motifs.
While running, the man who was also wearing a red hood then turned around to face the audience. Followed by four male dancers in similar costumes minus black vests, the dance began. Thus the Soya-Soya Dance started the opening of the XVI Biennale Jogja on Wednesday (6-10) afternoon.
A jolt of two beats, moving in sync. Cha! Switch positions and rotate. Cha! Thus the dancers from the Nuku Student Family Association (PKPMN) danced in the front yard of the Jogja National Museum (JNM).
Munistasary Ismail, the capita (leader) of the PKPMN Soya-Soya Dance group, the dancer in the black vest, told a story about the performance.
In the past, he said, this dance from North Maluku was used when Sultan Baabullah invaded the Portuguese fort, Kastela. “After that, the dance was preserved as a marker of the heroism of the fighters of the Sultanate of Ternate,” he said, completing the history of the emergence of the Soya-Soya Dance.
The use of his attributes they wore also symbolizes war. He said that the prop in the dancer’s right hand was not originally a bunch of dried woka leaves.
“In the past, the sword was used as a complement to the shield. However, because of concerns that it would injure the dancers and the audience, it was replaced with a safer one (woka leaves),” he said.
Now, continued Ismail, this dance is often used to welcome important guests. In addition, he also said, this dance is also commonly performed at art performances in North Maluku.
Ladija Triana Dewi, the organizer of the Biennale Jogja XVI, said that the appointment of the Soya-Soya Dance as the opening act for this afternoon’s event had several backgrounds.
First, the Juanga Culture that comes from Tidore, North Maluku, suggested that the Soya-Soya Dance from his region be the initial performance at the opening of the Biennale Jogja XVI. Ladija said that this performance was part of the action platform of Broken Pitch x Juanga Culture.
In addition, the performance of the Soya-Soya Dance also carries the mission of decentralizing art. “All events in Jogja were opened with Javanese stage art. From there we thought of offering something new,” she said.
Along with the Oceania theme carried by the Biennale Jogja XVI, Ladija hopes that this performance will be able to re-look at the Center and the Periphery.
