What better way to celebrate the month of love than by witnessing a love story accompanied by exotic music and dance? ICN 2018: Lakonna is an original musical inspired by a folktale from Tana Toraja, a highland region in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The musical is produced and performed by the Indonesian students at Nanyang Technological University to introduce and promote Indonesian culture in Singapore.

Lakonna is a tale of everlasting love laced with lies and deceit that follows two brothers, Arrang and Bayo. Arrang is a man who has it all: the firstborn of the head of the village who is set to succeed his father and a man in love with the soft-spoken Tanoana. Little does he know that his childhood friend, Malitta, has been in love with him and is determined to make Arrang hers. Arrang’s younger brother, Bayo, who has been living in the shadow of his older brother, is longing for their father’s approval and eyeing the village head position. As Malitta concocts a plan to get what she wants, Arrang eventually has to choose between the love of his life and his destiny to lead the village his father has left him. Beyond a simple love story, this musical serves as a reminder in today’s increasingly power-hungry world that there is a price to pay for chasing after power.

The Torajan culture is often described as mythical and mysterious. However, you would get to witness the different facets of the Torajan culture as dancers leap and turn to celebrate love and victories in wars and mourn the deaths of loved ones. This original choreography fuses Torajan traditional tribal dance with contemporary dance to create an entirely unique dance style.

This musical is more than just a story. With actors and dancers clothed in colourful traditional costumes and a stage decorated just like a Torajan village, this musical is set to be a 2-hour immersive cultural experience. For one night, you would be transported to the ancient village of Toraja.