Kayla Aurelie Balqies, a student of Accounting, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia (UI), succeeded in bringing several Indonesian dances to the Project Show Macau International Show Parade 2024 in Macau, China, with the UI Krida Budaya Student Dance League (LTMUIKB). The event was held to commemorate the Chinese New Year- The Year of Dragon- and showcase various cultures from abroad. Some of them are Germany, Italy, Thailand, China, South Korea, Slovakia, Philippines, France, and others.
Kayla and LTMUIKB were invited by the International Show Parade event organizer to be one of the performers in Macau this year thanks to the Cultural Mission trip of the UI Krida Budaya Team in 2023 in Spain, France, and Italy. Kayla said that this project show was an impressive experience. The UI Krida Budaya Team performed two dances, namely the Selendang Dendang Dance and the Janger Dance. “The Selendang Dendang dance is a dance that combines Betawi and Chinese culture, so we want to show the diversity of Indonesian culture with the acculturation of Chinese culture. Meanwhile, the Janger Dance is performed because of its beautiful dance movements and unique and beautiful costumes,” said Kayla.
She started learning traditional dance when she was in elementary school and often took part in various competitions. Besides introducing traditional dance to the general public, according to Kayla, Krida Budaya UI is a forum for developing and encouraging herself to hone her dancing skills.
Even though her love of dancing takes up a lot of time, Kayla ensures that this does not interfere with her activities as a student. “For academic activities, whether studying in class or internship, I am committed to doing it in one week of class. I note down all the assignments and get them done following the deadline. Meanwhile, I make time on weekends for non-academic activities,” said Kayla.
She added that this achievement began her journey to continue to deepen her hobby of dancing traditional dances. She hopes that this experience can inspire many people and provide an understanding that the beauty of Indonesia can be seen from various aspects, from natural diversity to cultural richness, such as traditional dance.
Meanwhile, Kayla also has the experience of being one of the delegates from Indonesia, representing UI in the ASEAN Youth Cultural Forum (AYCF) activities on 14-19 May 2023. AYCF is one of the ASEAN University Network (AUN) youth activities designed to capture the essence of ASEAN cultural heritage, its influence, and development, to increase better understanding and appreciation of ASEAN countries. In 2023, UI was lined up to be the host, and Krida Budaya UI was the dance delegation from Indonesia. Kayla and the UI Krida Budaya team performed the Hong Bird Dance.
The UI Vocational Education Program Director, Padang Wicaksono, S.E., Ph.D, appreciated Kayla’s achievements. According to him, Kayla’s participation with the UI Krida Budaya is one of the missions that introduce Indonesian culture to the world. Padang said, “I hope this experience will give Kayla a positive impression, such as networking with people worldwide and continuing to make UI and Indonesia proud.”
