Indonesia’s rich culture, especially its dances, attracts both locals and tourists. Now, the Ratoh Jaroe dance from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam is gaining attention on Instagram, thanks to a post from Apple’s official account.
Through a beautiful visual work, Apple collaborated with several Indonesian creators to present the Ratoh Jaroe dance, captured by its latest and best smartphone camera, the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Previously, the quality of the iPhone camera had also attracted global attention, because it was used to record the background of the making of a video for the South Korean girl group, aespa.
According from Gizmologi, the Ratoh Jaroe dance or also known as the thousand hands dance itself, was created by Yusri Saleh who is also familiarly called Dek Gam. He also contributed to the making of the captivating short video with Apple as a choreographer, along with musicians, photographers and other creators.
Ratoh Jaroe Dance Visuals Stunning Through iPhone Cameras
In an upload via the official Instagram account of Apple, a video upload is shown that showcases the beauty of the Ratoh Jaroe dance, which is the work of Agung Pambudi. He is a renowned music video director who has previously collaborated with a number of renowned musicians including The Panturas. Known for his innovative visual storytelling style, and adept at weaving edgy aesthetics into captivating narratives, which then leave a deep impression.
Ratoh Jaroe dance features rhythmic hand movements that are also accompanied by body clapping and chanting of certain verses. While creating stunning symmetrical choreography formations, this dance is more suitable for large-scale performances.
As the director of the collaborative work with Apple, Agung said that the short film wanted to try to create a visual language that respects tradition, while embracing transformation. In relation to this, musician Kasimyn, one half of the duo Gabber Modus Operandi and who has collaborated with Bjork, complements the work by presenting electronic music that is associated with traditional Indonesian culture.
Agung added that the use of a smartphone camera (in this case the iPhone 16 Pro Max) allowed him the flexibility to move with all the dancers in capturing the Ratoh Jaroe dance moments. “Its compact size allows us to capture fine details without disrupting the flow of the performance, while also cutting down on the time usually wasted on changing lenses or setting up equipment. We were able to stay fully present, adapt in real time, and focus on executing our vision in its entirety.”
In addition, Indonesian cinematographer, Gatot Subowo also played a role as a camera operator in this Ratoh Jaroe dance work. According to him, the use of an iPhone camera allows the realization of a vision to capture the beauty of the Ratoh Jaroe Movement which is quite complicated but full of meaning. Where played by female dancers in even numbers and many to give the effect of “a thousand hands”.
“Features like Ultra Wide help us show the grandeur of the show and the multitude of dancers without losing the fine details that give meaning to every movement,” Gatot added. As we know, compared to the previous generation, the iPhone 16 Pro camera is equipped with the latest 48MP ultra-wide sensor for sharper quality, including the ability to capture high-resolution images.
Another new feature of the iPhone 16 Pro that can improve video quality is the 4K 120fps recording option, to capture moments and display them in slower motion for dramatic effects. In addition, four studio-quality microphones also feature the Audio Mix feature, for sound capture that can be adjusted for clarity, even made as if recorded from a professional studio.
