A total of 200 students from the University of Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), who are members of the Student Activity Unit for Dance, Arts, and Culture, as well as students from the Primary School Teacher Education Program (PGSD), presented a performance of 8 ethnic dances as part of the record-breaking MURI (Indonesian World Records Museum) event for the largest mass ethnic dance in Indonesia.
The record-breaking attempt, called the Adira Festival – TV One, began on Saturday, August 5th, at the Benteng Medan Field. This event will be held in five major cities in Indonesia, and the ethnic dances performed by UMSU students were the opening act.
The presentation of ethnic dances by 200 UMSU students at the Adira Festival-Tv One received great appreciation and enthusiasm from the public. The 8 ethnic dances showcased were Malay, Batak Karo, Simalungun, Fak-fak/Dairi, Batak Toba, Mandailing, Coastal, and Nias.
The event was attended by UMSU Rector Prof. Dr. Agussani, MAP, who was represented by Vice Rector III UMSU Dr. Rudianto, M.Si, along with Swandajani Gunadi, Director of HR & Marketing at Adira Finance, Muhammad Sofyan, Assistant to the Mayor of Medan, and representatives from the District Military Command (Kodim), as well as the Medan community.
Vice Rector III UMSU, Dr. Rudianto, M.Si, expressed his pride in the students’ performance, highlighting that it not only preserves culture but also demonstrates the quality and creativity of UMSU students.
“Alhamdulillah, UMSU has a Student Activity Unit dedicated to the arts and dance. Most of the students who performed today are from the Dance Student Activity Unit, and the rest are PGSD students who study dance as part of their coursework,” said Dr. Rudianto.
He also emphasized that the performance by UMSU students is part of the development of the Dance Student Activity Unit and is carried out professionally. UMSU’s Dance Student Activity Unit provides trained instructors who continuously train and bring in new talents.
“In the future, we will continue to preserve the tradition and the abilities of our students in traditional dance. Hopefully, there will be many professional organizations outside the campus that recognize the talents of our students,” added Dr. Rudianto.
Vice Rector III hopes that in the future, UMSU will continue to promote the Dance Student Activity Unit as an icon of the university. When people seek and remember young generations who love and appreciate cultural arts, they will think of UMSU.
Meanwhile, Swandajani Gunadi, Director of HR & Marketing at Adira Finance, praised the performance of the 200 UMSU students in the 8 ethnic dances.
“Thank you for your beautiful and captivating dance performance that delighted the people of Medan. Thank you, Mr. Rudi, for attending and supporting our students in today’s event,” said Swandajani.
Furthermore, Dharma Ari Prianto, S.E., the supervisor of the Dance Student Activity Unit, along with Coach Muhammad Nasir Nst, S.P., mentioned that the 200 students only needed one week of preparation for their performance. Nasir, as the coach, found it not difficult to provide guidance to 200 students who have the potential to become more professional. Muhammad Iqbal, one of the UMSU students who participated in the dance formation, shared the same sentiment.
“It’s extraordinary to be part of this dance performance. Our hope for the future is that UMSU can continue to support the creativity of its students. UMSU’s Dance Student Activity Unit can also continue to develop and excel both regionally, nationally, and internationally,” said Iqbal.
Previously, UMSU’s Dance Student Activity Unit has achieved various accolades, ranging from regional to international levels, such as being the runner-up in the Dance and Culture Festival in Bali, winning first place in Folklore Dance at the International Festival in Italy, and frequently participating in national and international events.
