Imagine a martial arts show, a musical, and a play rolled into one! Randai is a traditional Minang Kabou art form where actors and actresses tell hour-long stories about folktales and events that were inspired form real life! Randai is the first of three traditions I believe are closely linked to the respect the community has towards theatre and martial arts.
I learned about three main traditions that all blend storytelling, performance, and physical grit. Randai, tari priang, and silek harimau are all traditional art forms that are very popular in West Sumatra and which have ties to the ancient practicioners of pencak silek, who were respected martial arts teachers in ancient Minang Kabou royalty. The scene I described above is called Randai, which is the most practiced among the four because of its entertaining storytelling aspect. I first learned about Randai after being invited to a day long Randai festival in which the students from my school performed. During Randai, actors and actresses wear traditional Minang Kabou clothing which range from black, glittering uniforms to colorful red, gold glimmering attire worn by royalty.
