Students, volunteers and local community members gathered for popular Indonesian band performances, contemporary social dance and other traditional and modern celebrations of Indonesian culture at Gerlinger Hall on Saturday evening. In addition to the stage performances, the crowd at Indonesia Night 2009 enjoyed traditional Indonesian cuisine.
Audrey Jahja, a 2008 graduate in business administration, volunteered at the event. Jahja said there were a lot of Chinese and Japanese volunteers as well, not just people of Indonesian heritage. Jahja said she participated in Indonesia Night because of her own Indonesian heritage, though she was born in the United States.
“We all have to work together in order for everyone to experience Indonesian culture tonight,” she said.
The evening began with the National Anthem of Indonesia, followed by a few band performances. The band performed three songs, including “Dia,” which was a popular Indonesian pop song in the ’90s. Guests at the event enjoyed Ayam Goreng Kuning for dinner, a turmeric fried chicken. Rujak Buah was offered for dessert, which consisted of assorted fruit in a tangy palm sugar sauce. Indonesia Night ended with the Saman dance, a popular dance from Aceh also known as “thousand hands.”
Alex Phay, a sophomore in business administration, helped organize one of the booths set up throughout the venue. Phay, who is of Cambodian descent, volunteered to help out his roommate of Indonesian heritage. Of all the performances planned for Indonesia Night, Phay said he was “looking forward to the traditional dances because I saw them practicing.”
Many other students attended the event, such as Lexi Whitmore, a freshman majoring in Japanese. Whitmore was mostly “looking forward to the music,” she said. As a member of the Japanese Student Organization, Whitmore has helped with similar events, such as Japanese Night. Whitmore came to Indonesia Night to “hopefully learn more about Indonesian culture and traditions,” she said. Although Whitmore’s own heritage does not include Indonesia or Japan, she attended Indonesia Night to experience the festivities and traditions of another country.
Band performances throughout the night varied from pop songs from Indonesia to traditional rhyme song of Jakarta. In addition to the band performances, volunteers performed dances such as Jaipong and Saman. While enjoying Indonesian cuisine, such as one of the entrees, called Nasi Uduk, the crowd travelled from booth to booth to learn about traditional games and different regions of Indonesia. Indonesia Night 2009 provided a festival of Indonesian traditions that allowed all guests to experience a part of life and culture in Indonesia.
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