Jakarta, IO – Jakarta’s afternoon breeze was a friendly touch, complementing a blue sky and bright sunlight. I had the pleasure of speaking with an Young Indonesian Kartini named Kalya Mahiya Pravina – a 13-year-old girl who has already accomplished so much in her dance career. Kalya is noted for her dance style, reminiscent of Kartini.
Every April 21, we celebrate and commemorate Kartini for her efforts to achieve women’s equality in education. The efforts of the young Indonesian woman made us proud, by achieving her dreams of becoming a prominent dancer at such a young age. She did not give up easily and kept pursuing new goals to sharpen her talents.
Kalya currently attends Al Izhar Middle High School in Pondok Labu, Jakarta. Despite the demands of her dancing career, she maintains an exceptional academic record. “I danced for the first time at the age of four when I performed Kalimantan’s Dayak Dance,” explained Kalya, who is also the Cultural Ambassador of Kiny Cultura Indonesia.
Teenage girls would prefer modern dances to traditional ones, which distinguishes Kalya from other teenage girls. “Indonesian traditional dance depicts the character of the nation, one that needs to be guarded. I want to learn many Indonesian traditional dances to do my part to preserve Indonesian culture,” Kalya stated enthusiastically.
Up to now, Kalya has mastered 13 Indonesian traditional dances, including Papua’s Yospan, East Kalimantan’s Enggang (Hornbill), Kembang Kipas, Lenggang Nyai, Topeng, Kite Satu, and Betawi’s Dewangga. Kalya has also mastered dances from Sumatra and Eastern Indonesia, such as the famous West Sumatra Piring (Plate) Dance, the Marpangir Dance from North Sumatra, the Giring Giring Dance from Central Kalimantan, the prominent Ratoh Jaroe Dance from Aceh, Riau’s Lancang Kuning Dance and the Tifa Dance from Nusa Tenggara.
“It takes a month to learn and master a solo dance and two to three months to master group dances, as it takes longer to dance harmoniously,” she said. Kalya has accomplished a great deal in her nine years of dancing experience. “I have obtained 17 trophies from national dance competitions and five internationally certified awards for both solo and group dance categories,” she said.
Of all Kalya’s achievements, her most memorable feat was the folkdance competition in Wales, United Kingdom, when she took part in 2019 at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. “It was my first time to participate in an international competition, and I came in second place, with several friends from Gema Citra Nusantara. I was only 9 years old then,” she added.