Solah Wetan Dance Studio was included in the list of 10 best performers in the ASEAN Panji Festival series, by presenting a ballet entitled Competition Dewi Songgolangit. All the characters from the reog show, from Klonosewandono, bujangganong, jathil dancers, warok, to pembarong appeared at the Universitas Brawijaya TV Studio, on October 10 2023.
Wahyu Bayu Prasetian, Head of Solah Wetan Studio, prepares his students carefully before taking part in the online ASEAN Panji Festival auditions. They underwent intensive training in the studio in Wonokerto Village, Jetis District, Ponorogo Regency.
“We finally qualified as 20 finalists,” said Bayu Bolot – Wahyu Bayu Prasetian’s nickname, Sunday (14/10/2023).
The live performance schedule will be held on October 10 2023. Bayu admitted that there were no significant obstacles because his studio has currently opened bujanganong classes, jathil dance classes, pembarong classes, karawitan classes, creative dance classes, traditional dance classes and puppetry.
“The ASEAN Panji Festival is attended by participants from a number of provinces, the 20 finalists must have been strictly selected,” he explained.
Sanggar Solah Wetan has around 360 students. The play Competition Dewi Songgolangit was staged beautifully. The strength of the content and performance made the children of Sanggar Solah Wetan selected as the 10 best performers. “The children’s performances were able to turn the Universitas Brawijaya TV Studio into a magnificent stage,” explained Bayu Bolot.
Sanggar Solah Wetan deserves a thumbs up because the ASEAN Panji Festival is a prestigious event. With the initiator, the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology collaborated with nine ASEAN member countries. This event is in the context of the sixth anniversary of the designation of the Panji Story manuscript as a world heritage by UNESCO. The festival takes place in several cities, namely Yogyakarta, Kediri, Surabaya, Malang and Surakarta from 7 to 28 October 2023.*png.go. Adv/Man
