Dance Plate, Traditional Dance From West Sumatra

Dance plates or in the local language is Piriang Dance is a traditional dance art that comes from the Minangkabau tribe, from the city of Solok, West Sumatra. This dance uses a plate as the main instrument. Plates placed on the top of the palm are swung and twisted with quick and regular movements and with fixed plates in the adhesive state with the palm of the hand.

History of Dance Plate

It is widely rumored that this dance was originally a ritual of the local people's gratitude to the Gods after the harvest season. In this ritual, these plates will contain a variety of food offerings brought and presented to the Gods through an artistic gesture. After the Islamic era, dance plates are no longer used as a medium of worship, but as a mere entertainment, which is often performed in various events crowd.

Movement in Dance Plate

Dance plate presents a variety of motion series of the attraction of the dancers who swing the plate on the second palm of his hand to and fro in a very fast tempo, with the intersection of a clink of sound between the platters or a clink created from ring finger ring dancers with plates. At the end, usually the plate will be thrown to the floor, then the dancers continue the dance on the pieces of the plate.



The number of dancers in the dish dance generally amounted to odd, could be 3 (three) to 7 (seven) people. The dancers will wear distinctive clothing dominated brightly colored, especially red and golden yellow. With the accompaniment of a musical instrument that is typical Minangkabau, namely Talempong and Saluang, Dance plate is invited click amazed from the audience. In its development, this dish Dance became one of the icons of West Sumatra Province and is often sent in cultural missions abroad, to introduce Indonesian culture, especially from the province of West Sumatra. For example, in August 2012, the Dance of this dish took part in the Festival de Montoire, France.

Dance dishes in the Minangkabau Society

Dance plate is still sustainable in the middle of Minangkabau society and has a special role in the wedding procession of Minangkabau adat. For Minangkabau people, less complete seems if the happy day of their marriage without dish Dance.