Reog art from Unitantri (Unit Karawitan dan Tari/Karawitan dan Dance Units) of Brawijaya University grabs the National Champion in 2017 Reog Ponorogo XXIV Festival.
Brawijaya University grabs the general champion several categories such as the best performer, the best choreographer on behalf of Maulita Mega Untari (Faculty of Sciences), and the best arrangement on behalf of Muhammad Bayu Aji Pradana (Faculty of Law).
Production Head of Reog Art of Brawijaya University Muhammad Bayu Aji mentioned, there are three criteria jury assessment which finally positioned in the overall champion, namely Wiroso or deepening of character, wirogo or application of motion, as well as wirama or musical harmony.
“For the competition we are deliberately preparing long before since the beginning of 2017 and we grateful finally we can grab the general champion,” said Bayu.
Explained by Bayu, in previous years, Brawijaya University Reog Art was merely able to gab runner up position. Just in this year Brawijaya University able to grab the general champion.
The XXIV Reog Ponorogo Festival is an art competition which can be followed by publics. This year there are 26 teams starts from high school level until foundation.
“The participant is not only from college students but also high school students, foundation, even from Japan. The Indonesian workers in Japan. They cooperate with the Ambassador of Republic of Indonesia to join in the competition,” he said.
Of the 25 teams that involved, Bayu confessed that the toughest competitor for his team was Pawargo (Persatuan Warga Ponorogo/Association of Ponorogo Residents) who live in Special Region of Jakarta.
“Besides they give material and morale support from Provincial Government of Special Region of Jakarta, Pawargo has good track record in the world of Reog Ponorogo art,” he said.
Even though, team of Brawijaya University students able to defeat Pawargo. Mentioned by Bayu, the team consisted of 89 members of Unitantri, the majority are students from Ponorogo who since they were kids had been educated to perform Reog Ponorogo art.
“Myself since I was four years old had been learning Reog Ponorogo art. Ponorogo kids are truly educated by their family to perform the art. This is one of the ways to preserve the arts,” said Bayu.
Members of reog team of Ponorogo students are they who enrolled as Brawijaya University students via non-academic achievements admission track. [Oky Dian/Humas UB/trans. Denok]
