Ar-Riyadhiyyat: Jurnal Pendidikan Matematika
Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026): Ar-Riyadhiyyat: Journal of Mathematics Education

MATHEMATICAL STRUCTURES IN THE MOVEMENTS AND FORMATIONS OF THE SELENDANG PEMALANG DANCE: AN ETHNOMATHEMATICAL STUDY

Shofa Hidayat (UIN K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan)
Naf'a Rohmaniyya (UIN K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan)
Utiya Nur Arimbi (UIN K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan)
Muthia Isna Arofah (UIN K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan)
Faridh Ricky Fahmy (UIN K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study explores the mathematical structures embedded in the movements, floor patterns, body postures, rhythmic organization, and scarf use of the Selendang Pemalang Dance. A qualitative descriptive design with an ethnographic orientation was employed. Data were obtained from an in-depth interview with a dance practitioner on 3 November 2025, visual observation of three performance videos, and relevant literature. The data were reduced, displayed in a movement-mathematics matrix, and interpreted through the ethnomathematical framework; credibility was strengthened through method and visual-source triangulation. The findings reveal horizontal, parallel, and curved lines; rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, scalene and right triangles, rhombi, and semicircles; vertical reflection; and acute, right, obtuse, and straight angles. These forms are not isolated geometric objects but emerge through coordinated spacing, bodily direction, and scarf trajectories. The study's novelty lies in integrating movement, formation, rhythm, and the scarf as one cultural-mathematical system and translating the findings into concrete classroom tasks involving coordinate geometry, polygon classification, transformation, and angle measurement. Selendang Pemalang Dance therefore offers a culturally meaningful resource for contextual mathematics learning and local heritage appreciation.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

arriyadhiyyat

Publisher

Subject

Education Mathematics

Description

This journal aims to facilitate and promote dissemination of scholarly information on research and development in Mathematics and Mathematics Education. The articles published in this journal can result from research, conceptual thinking, ideas, innovations, best practices, and book reviews. The ...