Randai Dance (West Sumatra)

Randai is a form of theatre of the Minangkabau in West Sumatra. It involves a kind of circular dancing, called galombang. The movements of the dance are based on those of the martial art, pencak silat. Further, Randai involves a dialogue between actors. A third element of Randai is sung poetry. The dancers may sing the texts, and there may also be a male or female vocalist accompanied by a bamboo flute (saluang or bansi) or a set of gongs (talempong). During the intervals in a Randai performance popular songs may be played, a dance like tari piring may be performed, there may be a comical sketch, or a demonstration of pencak silat.