Watch as master Javanese dancers Urip Sri Maeny and Pamardi Tjiptopradonggo perform pieces from the classical court tradition of central Java, as well as a new work reflecting modern dance innovations in Indonesia. They’re accompanied by a gamelan ensemble led by Sumarsam, one of the world’s leading authorities on Indonesian music.
Urip Sri Maeny has taught Javanese dance at Wesleyan University for forty years. She has performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Lincoln Center; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Oxford University; Burg Herzberg Festival; and for Indonesian consulates in Hong Kong, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, and Iraq.
Dancer and choreographer Pamardi Tjiptopradonggo is trained in both classical and contemporary Javanese forms. He is on the faculty of the Institute of the Arts in Surakarta and has taught, performed, and choreographed in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, China, India, Europe, and the United States.
Images courtesy Wesleyan University