Tokyo – Traditional Minangkabau dance led by the Minangkabau Family Association (IKM) managed to amaze the audience on the main stage of the Indonesia-Japan Friendship Festival (IJFF) 2025 in Tokyo. Even though it was raining in the Yoyogi Park area, hundreds of visitors were still enthusiastic to watch the dancers’ performance move quickly in traditional red, green and gold clothes. The performance, which was held on Sunday (19/10/2025), featured a number of typical Minang dances such as the Plate Dance and the Pakmuur Dance. The dynamic movements of the dancers, accompanied by traditional Minang music, livened up the festival atmosphere even more and attracted the attention of Japanese citizens and the Indonesian diaspora who attended. SCROLL TO CONTINUE CONTENT IKM partnered with Rumah Gadang Limpapeh, a Minang art community from Jakarta, to perform at the festival. This collaboration is a concrete manifestation of IKM’s efforts to introduce the richness of Minangkabau culture to the international stage. Andre Rosiade, general chairman of IKM, who also witnessed the performance, expressed his appreciation towards the dancers. “We partnered with Rumah Gadang Limpapeh because they are known to be skilled in authentically performing Minang dances. It is a beautiful way to introduce Indonesian culture, especially Minangkabau, to the world,” said Andre. Chairman of Rumah Gadang Limpapeh, Evi Syahruddin, admitted that he was happy and proud to be able to appear in Tokyo at the invitation of IKM. He said this experience was a valuable moment for his group because it was warmly welcomed by the audience. “We feel it is extraordinary to be able to dance in Japan and introduce Minang culture on the international stage. The audience was huge and very enthusiastic, it made us both moved and proud,” said Evi. The Minang dance is one of the most popular attractions to watch at the two-day festival. A number of Japanese residents were seen recording the dancers’ performances with their gadgets, while the Indonesian audience clapped along to the rhythm of the music and the sound of records crashing on stage. The 2025 Indonesia-Japan Festival offers various cultural and culinary activities from the country. IKM also participated through the Marandang Dunia activity, namely the cooking of 200 kilograms of rendang which managed to break the MURI record for the most rendang cooked abroad. Also watch video: Artist Miyazaki brings industrial sculpture to Rome’s historic water theater (tor/fca)
Led by IKM, Minang Dance amazes audiences at the 2025 Indonesia-Japan Festival
