Potential of Saman Dance in Tourism Development in Gayo Lues Regency, Aceh Province

Abstract

The Saman dance or better known as the thousand-hand dance is one of the cultural heritages of the Indonesian nation which has been passed down from generation to generation as the pride of the Gayo people. This Saman Gayo dance has been recognized and confirmed by the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an intangible world cultural heritage on November 24, 2011 in Bali. Saman Dance is one of the tourism attractions in Gayo Lues Regency. The Government of Gayo Lues Regency incorporates Saman Dance into the school curriculum, forms a guided Saman group and becomes a facilitator for increasing the development of cultural arts so that it develops into a cultural icon and can be used as a source of local revenue. Community involvement makes Saman Dance a cultural icon is that people love this art and it has become a hereditary tradition that should not be left behind or lost altogether. This art can be witnessed in the context of performances as entertainment at the time of celebration of national holidays, religious and grand guest banquets. The data were interviewed, and the research method used was descriptive with qualitative analysis. The results showed that Saman Dance and tourism development contributed to regional development in Gayo Lues Regency. The way to make it happen is to become a tourism facilitator who creates a conducive climate, build an airport or other infrastructure to make it easier for tourists to travel and promote existing tourism potential through a tagline. The efforts of the Gayo Lues Regency Government and the community to support the implementation of the Saman Dance conservation policy as a tourism potential are to directly involve competent people in the preparation of the program so that the results are of high quality. Keywords: Saman Dance Potential, Development, Society.