Interactivity in the Performance of the Traditional Art of Bagurau Saluang Dendang Minangkabau in West Sumatera

Abstract

Bagurau Saluang Dendang is a type of Minangkabau traditional music which involves the audience (pagurau) in its performance. The pagurau is not an ordinary audience but a community that has the ability to interact in the performance through pantun (poetry or verse), to express stimulation of a message and to provide a response to other messages. Bagurau Saluang Dendang is a performance of vocal music accompanied by the saluang instrument. The texts presented are lamentations about various aspects of community life, expressed spontaneously through pantun. The ability to sing pantun and interact according to the theme and situational context of the performance is the primary focus of discussion in this research. The research method used is ethnography with participant observation, and audio-visual recordings of three performances in luhak nan tigo Minangkabau, specifically in the regencies of Tanah Datar, Agam, and Lima Puluh Kota. The data analysis is carried out through the text and context of the performance, encompassing the ideas, behaviour, and material of the performance, based on cultural themes that are proposed for interaction throughout the performance. The research results show that there are two forms of interaction that take place during the performance, namely between one pendendang (singer) and another, and between the singers and groups of pagurau. The aesthetical expression of the performance is constructed on the basis of the successful interactivity between the performers and pagurau in interpreting the messages of the cultural themes communicated in the performance.

Keywords: Interactivity, tradition, bagurau, and saluang dendang.