Attraction: The Enchanting Seudati Dance of Aceh Related Destination: Banda Aceh Aceh may be known for its

distinguished Coffee and outstanding natural splendors, however the people and their well kept traditions are what truly give this most northwestern province of Indonesia its character. While the vibrant traditional Saman Dance has been long gained its worldwide reputation and acknowledged by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of the World, Aceh still has plenty other equally outstanding authentic cultural features. Among the most exceptional ones is the enchanting Seudati Dance. Seudati is a traditional Aceh Dance that originated from the initial spread of Islam in Aceh and to Indonesia in general. The word Seudati itself is believed to be generated from the Arabic Syahadat which means the creed or statement of embracing Islam, while others also suggested that the word Seudati derives from the local language seurasi meaning harmonious. Thus, the dance is not merely a form of entertainment, but also acted as a media to spread the religious Islamic messages to its audiences. The dance is believed to have been originated from a coastal folk art in Pidie regency known as Ratoh or Ratoih which literally translates as To tell. In Ratoh, many tales are told in songs as a musical score to the dance choreographies ranging from folktales, religious messages, to inspiring high spirited stories. This art form later transformed into Seudati and developed in the area of Pidie, Northern Aceh, Eastern Aceh, and ultimately the entire province. Seudati is performed by eight male dancers consist of one leader called syeikh, one syeikh assistant, two accompanying dancers on the left known as apeetwie, one on the back called apeet bak, and three other dancers. Complementing the dancers are two singers known as Aneuk Syah. This enchanting dance does not involve musical instruments, but instead, dancers clap their hands, stamp their feet and hit their chest to create rhythmic musical accompaniment. As the singers dynamically change the tempo, the dancers adjust their movement and the harmonic musical companion to the songs. The dance is performed in several parts or acts that usually consist of: Saleum Aneuk Syahi (greetings from the singers), Saleum Sheik (greetings from the main dancer), Likok, Saman, Kisah (story), Pansi, Lani, and Gambus. Seudati Dancers costumes consist of simple white pair of pants and long sleeved plain t-shirt; Songket sheet wrapped around the waist; Rencong (the traditional dagger of Aceh) also on the waist; and red tangkulok headband on their heads. The Aneuki Syahi (singers) on the other hand does not have distinct costumes.

Reffs: http://www.indonesia.travel/id/destination/494/banda-aceh/article/109/tari-seudati-alasan-untukmengunjungi-serambi-mekah http://aamovi.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/sejarah-tari-seudati-aceh/ http://www.acehselatankab.go.id/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95:tariseudati&catid=29:kesenian-daerah&Itemid=81 http://indonesiantraditionaldance.blogspot.com/2012/04/seudati-dance.html http://rampagoe.blog.com/2009/07/30/seudati-dance-heroism-dances-from-aceh/ http://artscraftindonesia.com/aceh/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=1 http://www.indonesia.travel/en/event/detail/554/seudati-festival-2012