Dance maestro Rianto said public interest in learning the traditional art form from Banyumas, Central Java, is remarkably high.
According to Rianto, the attraction of Lengger lies in its rhythm, which offers a healing experience. He hopes the dance can serve as a medium to help reduce suicide rates in Japan.
“As a form of healing, because mobility in Japan is very high. Many people are under stress. Some even cried when they watched and wanted to learn,” he said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Through the Dewandaru Dance Company, managed by his Japanese wife, Rianto has involved not only local residents but also Indonesian migrant workers in Tokyo.
The studio currently trains about 100 people, a sharp increase from the initial 25 participants.
“Around 85 percent are Japanese, while Indonesians who come are mostly migrant workers,” he added.
For Indonesian workers, Rianto does not charge fees as long as they are willing to learn, while Japanese participants contribute membership dues to support the studio’s activities.
To preserve Lengger, Rianto has organized various festivals.
These include a 24-hour performance on May 2–3, 2025, coinciding with Indonesia’s National Education Day in Banyumas, the Lengger Bicara festival featuring 10,000 dancers, and the Lengger Satria Suwarna Banyumas performance on June 22, 2025, which marked the declaration of World Lengger Day alongside traditional fertility rituals by local farmers.
Rianto also announced that from November 20–27 he will present Lengger Lanang, performed by Indonesian dancers, at an international music festival in Tokyo.
The performance will also feature calung, a bamboo gamelan ensemble from Banyumas.
The Banyumas Lengger is a traditional folk dance from Central Java, Indonesia, notable for its unique presentation by male dancers dressed as women (lengger lanang) or sometimes by female dancers.
Developed from the Tayub dance and often accompanied by calung music, Lengger carries not only entertainment value but also cultural and spiritual significance.
The dance is a medium of cultural preservation that conveys moral messages about promoting goodness and rejecting negative values.
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Translator: Sinta Ambarwati, Primayanti
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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