Melinting dance is a traditional dance of the Lampung tribe originating from the province of Lampung, Indonesia. This dance is a classic dance from the kingdom of Melinting in East Lampung. Melinting dance is one of the oldest dances ever in Lampung, it is estimated that this dance has existed since the entry of Islam in Indonesia. This dance is usually performed by male dancers and female dancers. And often displayed in various traditional events and cultural events held. Historically, the Melinting Dance is one of the classical dances from the Melinting Kingdom in Labuhan Meringgai, East Lampung. This dance was first created in the 16th century by Ratu Melinting II, who was titled Pangeran Panembahan Mas. Initially this dance was only known in the royal environment, and only performed at the traditional gawi events in the Kingdom of Melinting. At that time this dance could only be performed by the sons and daughters of Queen Melinting. In 1958, the Melinting Dance began to experience development and refinement. The dance developed into a folk dance, which was then often performed at various major events such as welcoming ceremonies, celebrations, and cultural events held there. This melinting dance was originally functioned as a sacred dance and was only performed at the royal gawi ceremony. But along with its development, this dance then functioned as a dance performance that is often displayed at various events such as welcoming, cultural events and other large events. This dance is interpreted as an expression of people's gratitude and happiness for what they get. In addition, every movement in the Melinting Dance certainly has its own meaning and philosophy in it. The Melinting dance is usually performed by male dancers and female dancers. For the number of dancers there are usually 8 dancers consisting of 4 male dancers and 4 female dancers. By using traditional clothing and accompanied by the accompaniment of musical accompaniment, dancers dance with their unique movements and use a fan as an attribute of dancing. In the Melinting Dance performance, it is usually divided into several stages, including the opening round, the babak pembuka, babak kugawo ratu, babak knui melayang, dan babak penutup. In this opening round the dancers pay their respects to the guests. Then in the last round the queen depicted the gentleness of the female dancer and the agility and strength of the male dancer. While in the knockout round, the dancers describe the majesty and elegance of the dancers. Then the closing round ended with greetings and respect from the dancers.
