Saman is the most popular type of dance in Indonesia. The dance has a fast rhythm. The dancers move at the same time. In Saman, dancers clap their hands and chests. This is important in Saman and it makes the dance easier to learn.[5][6]
In 2011, UNESCO said Saman is an important part of Aceh'sculture. UNESCO added Saman to its list of intangible cultural heritage, or things that are important to a group of people even though they cannot be touched. The ASEAN Tourism association also gave the dance an award for keeping cultural heritage alive.[7][8][9]
Name
The word Saman comes from Sheikh Saman, a famous Islamic teacher from Gayo in Aceh.[10] He learned about old Malay things like Ratib; which is Sufisong-speaking. Then he made the dance to show Islam to new people in Gayo. The Saman dance uses Islamic poems in the Gayo language.[11][12]
Dance
The Saman dance has no musical instruments. It used to be only men who did this dance, but now women dance it too. They sing and move in interesting ways while they dance. A short song, then a short dance, can last for about 15 to 20 minutes.[3][6]
Women in Aceh, wearing traditional Gayonese dress are performing Saman dance.
In Saman dance, the dancers stand in a line on a stage and sit in a special way. Then, a singer starts singing. The song can be about Gayo and Islamic things. The dancers move their hands in time with the song. A dancer called "Sheikh" leads the other dancers. As the dance goes on, the dancers start moving their arms, heads, and bodies too.[13] The dance becomes faster, and sometimes the dancers change how they are sitting. Every dancer moves at the exact same time so their movements look smooth. The first Saman dance from Gayo Lues does not use any musical instruments.[14][15]
While they dance, everyone says Islamic poetry together. The dancers are usually young men wearing traditional Gayonese clothes. Sometimes, the dance is like a contest between two groups, with each group trying to do the same moves, dances, and songs as the other group.[16]
