TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sundanese reak art group Juarta Putra from Bandung of West Java is ready to perform at the 2022 Roskilde festival in Denmark, which will take place from June 26 to July 2, 2022. The Danish music festival has a lineup of world-renowned musicians, including Post Malone, Dua Lipa, TLC, The Smile, and The Strokes.

Eight members of Juarta Putra will perform on the same day as The Strokes, St. Vincent, Haim, and Kings of Convenience on Saturday, July 2, 2022.

“It is an extraordinary honor that Reak art group Juarta Putra has the opportunity to exhibit Indonesian traditions, especially West Java, at the Roskilde Festival held in Denmark along with world legendary artists,” said Anggi Nugraha as the group head in a press statement received by Tempo on Thursday, June 23, 2022.

The Roskilde Festival is the largest music event in Denmark and one of the largest in Europe.

Established in 1982, Juarta Putra is the next generation of the previous group Warga Budaya (1935-1975) led by Abah Juarta, and currently has 30 members.

“Reak is a [Sundanese] art living among agrarian communities, especially farmers who mostly grow rice. Initially, this art is an accompaniment to a ceremony called "Helaran Reumpak Jarami, Ampih Pare", which is performed when farmers move the harvested rice from rice fields to storage (leuit) or storage at home,” Anggi explained.

The musical instrument used by Juarta Putra is a set of Sundanese music tools dubbed dogdog. The performance is complemented by barongan and kuda lumping dancers who usually dance in a trance state.

Juarta Putra will also collaborate with groups of Danish musicians Snöleoparden and Italian musicians Luigi. Apart from the performance, the group will meet with Danish artists to talk about future collaborations.

“This invitation is a tribute to our ancestors and a reminder of how vast life is, and what an honor it is to be able to showcase the reak art in Europe. We hope that with this opportunity, reak art group Juarta Putra can add to the historic record of pride that traditional arts can be recognized on the international stage. Hopefully, Indonesian traditional arts will continue to be preserved in the home country and other countries,” Anggi concluded.

MARVELA

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