BANYUWANGI – Hundreds of gandrung statues were built in the middle of coffee plantations and rice fields of Tamansari Village residents, Licin District, Banyuwangi Regency. An area managed by a mountain jazz entrepreneur and founder, Sigit Pramono, it will be used as a center to see gandrung dance in Banyuwangi.
Sigit named it the Terracotta Gandrung Park. Tourists who want to see gandrung dance, said Sigit, can come on schedule.
“Tourists can see the gandrung dance with a clear schedule. So tourists can watch. There will be 40-70 like dancing, once a month, up to once a week. The concept is like in the Moonstone, Bali,” said Sigit ahead of the inauguration of the Gandrung Terracotta Park, Saturday, (22/9/201).
In addition to the stage for cultural arts performances built with natural materials, there is also a casual hangout at the cafe. While the gandrung statues are built and placed separately in groups, has now reached 40 percent of target 1000 Gandrung statue. Gandrung, which is a dance icon in Banyuwangi, was deliberately chosen so that it can continue to be preserved.
“Will be resolved in the near future, because you don't do it arbitrarily, made of pottery, fragile nature as a symbol of grounded concepts,” said Sigit.
Sigit explains, Gandrung City Park was built so that the Banyuwangi Regency Government could be helped to bring in tourist visits. Terracotta Loving Garden, built on an area of orchards and rice fields 3 hectare.
Over there, besides being able to watch the gandrung dance every week, Various cultural activities will also be centered at the Gandrung Terracotta Park.
“This is our part to help Banyuwangi do rebranding. So that tourists visiting Banyuwangi can feel more comfortable and want to come back,” he explained.
Terracotta Gandrung Park is located at the foot of Mount Ijen. hope, the tourists who will climb Mount Ijen can stop by to enjoy the art and culture of love there.
“It used to be known as witchcraft and could change the face of Banyuwangi. I just helped by building this place,” said Sigit who is also the owner of Jiwa Jawa Resort and Founder of Jazz Gunung.
Meanwhile, Banyuwangi Regent Abdullah Azwar Anas expressed his gratitude for the support of the private sector which has helped bring tourist visits to Banyuwangi.
“Entrepreneurs who have an artistic spirit are rare. I say thank you, has done for Banyuwangi,” Anas said. From here, Anas hopes that the private sector in Banyuwangi can imitate the efforts made by sigit.
“My dream, if later there is direct singapore, Australia and others, I wish it could stay like this. Natural like this,” added.
Meanwhile, Curator of the Terracotta Love Garden, Suwarno explained, a gandrung statue made of a kind of pottery. “A type of pottery that is burned to the maximum 1000 degrees, it means the quality is below ceramic, become fragile,” Suwarno said.
The concept of pottery that has a cavity in the statue as a sign that nothing lasts forever in this world. While the placement of the gandrung statue in the plantation and rice fields as a symbol of the fertility of Dewi Sri.
“Very fragile because it is hinted that nothing lasts forever, not for eternity but temporary,” clear.
Meanwhile, Head of DKB Banyuwangi, Syamsudin Adlawi added, Gandrung is very closely related to the history of the Banyuwangi people's struggle against the Dutch colonial rule.
He exemplifies, during the Puputan Bayu war, when many Banyuwangi people died defending their homeland, Gandrung appears as a conduit for information for the guerrillas.
“The time of the puputan bayu war, gandrung consolidated with the guerrillas, in order to continue to fight against the Dutch colonial,” said Syamsudin.
