The 'dance of a thousand hands' from the Gayo highlands of Aceh.
Saman is performed by rows of dancers kneeling shoulder to shoulder. They clap, slap their chests and move their torsos in rapid, perfectly synchronised patterns while singing.
It comes from the Gayo people of Aceh and traditionally carried religious and moral messages. UNESCO inscribed it in 2011.
Good to know
- UNESCO intangible heritage (2011)
- Performed kneeling in rows
- From the Gayo people of Aceh
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