Saman (or the dance of thousand hands) is one of the most popular dances in Indonesia. Its origin is from the Gayo ethnic group from Gayo Lues, Aceh province, Sumatra, and is normally performed to celebrate important occasions.[1] The dance is characterized by its fast-paced rhythm and common harmony between dancers. These two elements are key figures of Saman, and are among the reasons Saman are widely known and practiced in Indonesia, beside being relatively easy to learn.
On November 24, 2011, UNESCO officially recognized Aceh's traditional Saman dance as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, which needs UNESCO's urgent protection
The ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) named Saman dance as the best ASEAN cultural preservation effort at the 25th ASEANTA Awards for Excellence 2012.
Form
The dance is done by a group of people without any additional music instruments. Originally, the group was exclusively male. In performing this dance, they player sing some songs while doing some attractive movements. A short song (which leads to a short dance) can last for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Performance
A typical Saman performance is usually constituted of the followings elements: The dancers enters the stage and immediately form a single line while sitting in a form equivalent to the Japanese seiza. The song then starts to play, with the lyric at the beginning commonly telling the generals of Gayo culture at medium pace. The dancers then begin to move their hands in a rhythmic manner, following the movements. As the dance progresses, the movement is also performed with arms, head, and the general upper body. Also, the pace becomes faster, and the seat position may change. The key element is that every dancer must move at the same time, creating a homogeneous, continuous, line of movement that is often described as the defining feature of Saman dance. One thing that makes this dances quite unique is that the original Saman dance which originally comes from Gayo Lues is not accompanied by any musical instruments.