IO – The US Embassy celebrated the 70 years of U.S. – Indonesia partnership in @america, the US Embassy’s American Center, which is located inside the Pacific Place Mall in Jakarta, an institution whose mission is to provide a space for young Indonesians to learn more about the United States and to share ideas about issues that are important to both Americans and Indonesians, on Wednesday, 27 November 2019.
Hundreds of lovers of Indonesian culture, and in particular Gamelan-rich Javanese culture, attended the event and enjoyed every minute. What is very exciting and surprising is that visitors who come were not only Indonesian citizens, but also many visitors from other countries such as America, Europe, Japan, Australia and other foreign countries.
HE Mr. James Dayringer, the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy Jakarta in his opening remarks said, “Today, the day before the Thanksgiving celebration, we are grateful to enjoy this beautiful gamelan music.
We should also thank those who have passion and are committed to not only learning but also preserving this culture. Special thanks to our friends from the Gereja Kristen Jawa Nehemiah in Lebak Bulus for bringing together this orchestra here. We are also looking forward to hearing the story about the people and their passion mastering the Gamelan from the beginning until they are ready to perform tonight.”
The show was opened with the appearance of a group of gamelan musicians with players from various nationalities, and their stunning performance succeeded in capturing the hearts of the visitors that night. The show then continued with the appearance of several artists who danced a number of dances accompanied by a gamelan orchestra.
Even though the @america room is full of Gamelan connoisseurs and observers, the calm atmosphere was still maintained so that the gamelan performance which is equipped with a number of traditional Javanese dances feels so amazing. Yoko Miyazaki, a Japanese woman who is currently learning to play Gamelan in Jogjakarta, expressed her admiration for the perfection of the show. She said “I have been looking forward to enjoy gamelan orchestra played for a long time like tonight, especially where some of the players are foreigners.” (OHW)