Indonesian President Joko Widodo yesterday led about 65,000 of his compatriots in a mass dance through the streets of Jakarta to promote the Asian Games and try to set a world record along the way.
Jakarta and the city of Palembang are to host Asia’s biggest sporting event from Aug. 18, but Widodo has previously complained about the lack of promotion and enthusiasm in the country.
In a bid to drum up support ahead of the Games, authorities turned to the poco-poco, a traditional line dance from North Sulawesi Province.
Photo: Antara Foto/Akbar Nugroho Gumay via Reuters
Dressed in white and red — the colors of the Indonesian flag — Widodo, his wife, Iriana, and several high-ranking officials led tens of thousands of Indonesians in a long, snaking line of dancers through the capital.
Organizers hope to break the world record for the largest number of people performing the traditional dance in one place and said 65,000 people took part in Jakarta.
“Poco-poco is the original culture of Indonesia and it’s a native dance, so we are now performing a mass poco-poco dance with 65,000 people setting the world record showing and reiterating poco-poco belongs to Indonesia,” said police chief Tito Karnavian, who took part in the event.
Police and military staff, members of parliament, students, members of fitness centers, as well as inmates in jails across Indonesia all showed their best poco-poco moves at the event.
“This a very good opportunity to show that Indonesia is conserving its traditions,” high-school student Raja Farid Akbar said. “I am happy that I can help promote a tradition that could have been forgotten.”
About 11,000 athletes and 5,000 officials from 45 Asian countries are expected to trvel to Jakarta and Palembang for the Games, the world’s biggest multi-sport event behind the Olympics.
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