VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

today's Miscellany presents good news from the 2024 World Dance Festival in South Korea where Indonesian students won gold medals in the dance festival held at the Suwon Convention Center. The festival, held by the Korea Dance Organization, featured participants from various countries in two main categories: traditional dance and modern dance. At this event, participants from Indonesia, represented by Kesatuan Bangsa Yogyakarta Junior and Senior High School students, won gold medals in the WDF 2024 Best Performance category which took place in Seoul from 15 to 18 August 2024. At the festival, 21 dancers from the school amazed the audience with the Ratoh Jaroe Dance, or commonly called the Saman Dance, a traditional dance from Aceh.

The victory at the World Dance Festival in South Korea certainly brings pride, especially for Indonesian schools and society. The school hopes that this achievement can further boost Indonesia's positive image on the international stage. One of the student assistants and dance instructors, Ariyan Latifa, said that the results achieved were inseparable from the students' hard and disciplined training for a year as well as the support of the school and parents, which increased the students' enthusiasm in obtaining the champion title. Besides winning a gold medal, the National Kesatuan School Saman Dance Team also received a special invitation from the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, to carry out a cultural mission by performing in front of Indonesian citizens and invited guests including local residents at the celebration of the 79th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence.

On this important occasion, Charge d'Affaires ad Interim at the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, Zelda Wulan Kartika, emphasized the importance of celebrating Independence Day as a moment to respect history and think about the future. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Education and Culture Attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul expressed his appreciation to the dance team for making Indonesia proud. This achievement is certainly an inspiration for the entire academic community to continue to play an active role in building the nation. The regional dance performance presented by the Kesatuan Bangsa School in the mid of the "Korean Wave" or Hallyu which has spread throughout the world, including Indonesia, shows that Indonesian students are able to steal attention and present the "Indonesian Wave" in South Korea.