Gawi Dance is one of the traditional dances of Ende, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT). This dance is a traditional dance of the Ende Lio tribe community as an expression of gratitude for all the blessings and graces that God has given them. In the show, Gawi Dance is done in mass by way of the hand grip and form a formation like a circle that is characteristic of this dance. Gawi Dance is often performed in ceremonies such as at the time of harvest, the construction of traditional houses, the appointment of tribal chiefs and other traditional ceremonies.
The Origin of Gawi Dance
This Gawi Dance is one of the oldest Ende Lio dances and has existed since ancient times. According to existing historical sources, this Gawi Dance has always been featured in traditional ceremonies or rituals of the Ende Lio community. This Gawi Dance will usually be shown at the end of the event as a cover and is an expression of gratitude for the blessings and graces that God has given them. The name of Gawi Dance itself comes from 2 (two) words namely "Ga" which means shy or hesitate and "Wi" which means interesting, so Gawi Dance can also be interpreted to unite themselves.
Functions And Meaning Of Gawi Dance
As explained earlier, this dance has a function as an expression of gratitude and respect for the people of God. In addition to spiritual value and historical value, this dance is also rich in philosophical values. One of them can be seen from the form of dance, where the dancers will hand each hand and form a circle. In that case, it illustrates how the sense of unity, togetherness, and brotherhood are interwoven between them so closely.
Gawi Dance Show
In this performance, Gawi Dance is done en masse both men and women. the dancers will make a circular formation around Tubu Busu. In this formation, male dancers are in front or inside, while female dancers are at the back or the outside. But there are also times when the female dancers make a semicircle formation. This formation certainly has its own meaning.
Movement in this dance is quite simply because in this dance is only mutually bepegangan hand, so that the movement is more dominated by the movement of the foot forward, backward, left and right simultaneously. While the movement of the hand just swung.
In this dance, there is usually a leader who is often called Eko Wawi or Ata Sodha who will lead the dance and sing the poem. Also in the line of dancers, there are also dance leaders called Ulu. In this Gawi Dance dance usually do not use music accompaniment, but only accompanied by poetry sung by Ata Sodha. This is because the dance is sacred, so it can be done in wisdom.
Gawi Dancing Costume
The costumes used by dancers in the Gawi Dance show are usually customary clothing. For male dancers will usually use a white shirt and sarong. In addition, it will also use a woven fabric and also a headlight (headband). As for the female dancers will usually use a distinctive clothes ende, sarong, and also weaving.
The Development of Gawi Dance
Although this dance is the oldest dance in Ende Lio, Gawi Dance is still maintained and preserved by the people there. This is evident with the still often performed this dance in a traditional event that was held there. In its development, this dance is not only a part of the ritual but also can be an entertainment or artistic performances. In its development, artists also often add some variations, both in terms of movement and music in order to look more interesting. This is certainly done as an effort in preserving the traditions and culture, so as not to drown with the development of this increasingly modern era.
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