Piring dance

Indonesian women performing the Piring dance, holding two ceramic plates.

The Piring dance (Jawi: تاري ڤيريڠ), also called the Plate dance, is a dance from West Sumatra, Indonesia. People also dance it in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. In this dance, dancers can be women, men, or couples. The dancers hold plates in both hands and move them quickly in different ways.

Dance

The dance shows how well the dancers can balance and move the clay plates without dropping or breaking them. Sometimes, they put candles on the plates. A Piring dance with candles is called Tari lilin or candle dance version. Dancers hold the plates at the bottom and swing them fast to keep them from falling.

While dancing, the performers tap their plates with a ring on their fingers, making musical sounds. The dance is done this way to welcome guests and honor elders at traditional events. Along with other traditional dances like randai and saman, the Piring dance is also popular at festivals outside Indonesia.

At the end of the dance, they often break the plates on the floor and dance on them. Usually, there is an odd number of dancers, as few as three or as many as seven.

Dancers wear bright clothes, mostly in red and yellow, and headgear. Musicians play music on the talempong and saluang instruments. The music starts slowly and then speeds up.

History

Piring dance at Minangkabau, Indonesia.

This dance comes from Solok, West Sumatra in Indonesia. According to the old stories, the Piring dance was done for fertility. It is also a traditional art with lots of beauty and deep cultural meaning. People used to perform this dance to thank the gods after the farm plants grew well so that there was enough food. During this ritual, the dancers would carry offerings like food on plates and move around with lively steps.

After Islam came to the Minangkabau region, people did not dance the Piring dance for gods. Instead, they danced it because it is fun to watch at public events and festivals.

Musical instruments

People holding the Talempong pacik instrument during a festival.

There are different musical instruments used in Minangkabau culture and during the Piring dance:

• Talempong pacik: This instrument is made of copper and brass. It's called "pacik" because the musician holds it while playing. There are three types:
  1. Talempong jantan
  2. Talempong betina
  3. Talempong Pangawin
• Pupuik rice stem: This instrument originally produces a single tone. By adding holes to the rice stems, it can create unique rhythms, similar to a flute.
• Gandang (Minang drum): The Minang term for drum is "gandang." While its shape is similar to drums in other regions, like Malay or Javanese, the way it's played varies. In Minang, the beat depends on the type of song.