randai

{{short description|Indonesian traditional theater}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Infobox performing art

| name = Randai

| image = Randai Padang Panjang.jpg

| caption = Randai performance in Padang Panjang

| medium =

| types = Traditional pencak silat theatre

| ancestor = Minangkabau

| descendant =

| culture = Minangkabau (Indonesia)

| era =

}}

File:Randai1.ogv

{{Dance drama of Southeast Asia}}

Randai (Jawi: رنداي) is a folk theater tradition of the Minangkabau ethnic group in West Sumatra, Indonesia, which incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and the martial art of silat. Randai is usually performed for traditional ceremonies and festivals, and complex stories may span a number of nights.{{cite journal |title=The Daughters Take Over? Female Performers in Randai Theatre |last=Pauka |first=Kirstin |journal=The Drama Review |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=113–121 |year=1998 |doi=10.1162/105420498760308706|s2cid=57565023 }} It is performed as a theatre-in-the-round to achieve an equality and unity between audience members and the performers.{{cite journal |title=Umbuik Mudo and the Magic Flute: A Randai Dance-Drama |journal=Asian Theatre Journal |year=2003 |volume=20 |issue=2 |last=Pauka |first=Kirstin|pages=113–146 |doi=10.1353/atj.2003.0025 |s2cid=161392351 }} Randai performances are a synthesis of alternating martial arts dances, songs, and acted-out scenes. Stories are delivered by both the acting and the singing and are mostly based upon Minangkabau legends and folktales. Randai originated early in the 20th century out of a fusion of local martial arts, story-telling, and other performance traditions.{{cite journal |title=Look at the Clouds: Migration and West Sumatran 'Popular' Theatre |last=Cohen |first=Matthew Isaac |journal=New Theatre Quarterly |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=214–229 |year=2003 |doi=10.1017/S0266464X03000125|s2cid=191475739 }} Men originally played both the male and female characters in the story, but since the 1960s, women have also participated.