Akkarena Sombali

Pakarena is a dance of Makassar allegedly developed since the 14th century. It began from the myth of the parting between the gods, residents of boting langi (the land of heaven) with the residents of lino (the earth). The gods come down from heaven and live with the residents of earth in order to teach the people how to live, how to cultivate, raise livestock, hunt, assemble and reach agreements, and provide mutual assistance.

Akkarena

When their parting must take place, the people of earth express their gratitude through movements that until today are called Pakarena.

The movements of Pakarena are a contrast between lively, rhythmic and dynamic music with soft, gentle, slow yet firm movements. Traditionally, a Pakarena performance begins at four in the afternoon and lasts until dawn. In a complete performance, the musicians play the piece Gandrang Pakarena which slowly changes to suit the changes in the time. At the start of the performance, the music played tends to be light and joyful, the second part (as it nears the middle of the night) tends to be contemplative, religious and devotional, while the third part is calmer and as if welcoming a new day full of hope.

Pakarena is divided into 12 sections. Although in each section the movements that appear are almost the same, they hold different meanings. Movements in a sitting position mark the beginning and end of the dance. Movements which turn in a clockwise direction express the cycle of human life. While movements that rise and fall are none other than the rhythm of life. In the performance, a Pakarena dancer is not allowed to open her eyes too wide. Similarly, in the leg movements, she may not lift her legs too high.

Akkarena Sombali is the result of Wiwiek Sipala’s redefinition of Pakarena since she first began to study the dance form in 1963. Sombali which means to wander, implies that this form of Pakarena which is the combination of a number of Pakarena variations that are widely known, are then presented as a new interpretation, including some elements from her personal research. It is the same Pakarena, but transformed into the other, because it was born in a different place.

*Invitation only

Foto: PKJ / TIM