Jakarta wins 'reog' contest

Jakarta wins 'reog' contest

JAKARTA (JP): The capital's 'Reog Ponorogo' troupe won the 1996 national Reog Ponorogo contest recently held in Ponorogo, East Java.

Reog is a folk dance based on the history of a king in East Java before the great Majapahit Kingdom of the 13th century.

The dance, depicting the fight between a tiger and the chief minister of a king in Kediri, is popular with people in East Java, especially the residents of Ponorogo, some 200 kilometers southwest of Surabaya.

The head of the city cultural agency, Azharie Baedlawie, said he was delighted with the Jakarta team's victory, Antara reported.

"The contest took place from May 12 to 19 in Ponorogo, a town where reog is believed to have originated," Azharie said proudly.

The contest was held to commemorate the May 19 beginning of the Islamic year.

Nine reog troupes, coming from East Kalimantan, Riau, Lampung, Surabaya, Wonogiri, Pacitan, Madiun, and Jakarta, participated in the contest. Similar folk dances from Brunei, Malaysia and Suriname were also featured. (sur)