Gandrung

Javanese girls performing Gandrung at a festival in Banyuwangi, Eastern Java, Indonesia.

Gandrung (Javanese: ꦒꦤ꧀ꦝꦿꦸꦁ) is a traditional dance from Indonesia. It is popular in Bali, Lombok, and Eastern Java among the Sasak, and Javanese people. The most famous is from Banyuwangi in Eastern Java, where the city is sometimes called "the city of gandrung". Originally, it was a dance for the rice goddess, but now it is more of a cultural dance than religious since the Javanese and Sasak people became Muslims in the 16th century.^[1][2]

Nowadays, Gandrung is danced at social events or for tourists. During the dance, traditional music is played, similar to the gamelan (Orchestra), with instruments like violins, gendangs, bonang, gongs, and xylophones. A singer usually sings with the music.^[3][4]

Name

Gandrung comes from the Javanese word for "love". It is believed the dance began as a way to show love for the rice goddess Dewi Sri and as a fertility dance. But now, especially among Muslim Javanese and Sasak, it is more of a social and cultural dance. The dance is now about a girl searching for love, and is no longer for the rice goddess.^[5][6]

Dance

A large number of dancers performing the Gandrung dance in Banyuwangi, Indonesia during the annual festival.

Gandrung is often danced all night from around 9 p.m. until just before sunrise. Sometimes, it's performed for tourists in Bali or Grajagan Bay in Banyuwangi. People also dance it at special events like weddings or circumcisions.^[7]

The main dancer, called the gandrung, is usually a young unmarried girl or sometimes a boy dressed as a girl. They wear traditional clothes with a fan, shawl, and fancy headgear. Sometimes, there's more than one gandrung dancer.^[8][9]

At the start, the dancers are on the side of the stage with the music group. When the music begins, they dance to the center. If a dancer sees someone in the audience they want to dance with, they throw their shawl to them, inviting them onstage. Then, they dance together. After dancing, the audience member often gives a small amount of money.^[10]

Gandrung is also a way for boys and girls in central and eastern Lombok to show affection. They dance it outside in a circle. Similar dances are seen in other parts of Indonesia like ronggeng, tayuban, jaipongan, and joged.^[11]

Music

Gandrung is danced to music played by a traditional group. This group usually has violins, drums, gongs, and xylophones. A singer sings during the dance. Also, every performance needs a panjak, also known as a pengudang or encourager. Their job is to cheer on the dancers and add some fun to the show. Sometimes, the kluncing player takes on this role.^[12]

Different places have their own bands for the dance, like in Banyuwangi, Bali, and Lombok. The music might vary a bit depending on where it's played. People say the music is lively and natural. Many anthropologists have recorded the Gandrung music.^[13]

Gandrung Movement

References

1. Müller, Kal (1997). East of Bali: From Lombok to Timor. Periplus. ISBN 978-962-593-178-4.
2. Herriman, Nicholas (2006). "Fear and Uncertainty: Local Perceptions of the Sorcerer and the State in an Indonesian Witch-hunt". Asian Journal of Social Science. 34 (3): 360–387. doi:10.1163/156853106778048669. ISSN 1568-4849.
3. Descutner, Janet (2010). Asian Dance. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-3078-1.
4. Spiller, Henry (2010-04-15). Focus: Gamelan Music of Indonesia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-90189-9.
5. Müller, Kal (1997). East of Bali: From Lombok to Timor. Periplus. ISBN 978-962-593-178-4.
6. "Pemerintah Kabupaten Banyuwangi | Kesenian Gandrung - Pemerintah Kabupaten Banyuwangi". 2010-08-28. Archived from the original on 2010-08-28. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
7. Spiller, Henry (2010-04-15). Focus: Gamelan Music of Indonesia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-90189-9.
8. Hinzler, Hedwig Ingrid Rigmodis (1986). Catalogue of Balinese Manuscripts: In the Library of the University of Leiden and Other Collections in the Netherlands. Brill Archive. ISBN 978-90-04-07234-3.
9. Harnish, David D. (2021-09-13). Change and Identity in the Music Cultures of Lombok, Indonesia. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-49824-2.
10. Harnish, David D. (2006-01-01). Bridges to the Ancestors: Music, Myth, And Cultural Politics at an Indonesian Festival. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2914-8.
11. Witton, Patrick; Elliott, Mark; Greenway, Paul; Jealous, Virginia (2003). Indonesia. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74059-154-6.
12. Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; Trillo, Richard (2000). World Music: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific. Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-85828-636-5.
13. Indonesia, Museum Musik (2022-12-02). Traditional and Ethnic Music in Indonesia. Media Nusa Creative (MNC Publishing). ISBN 978-602-462-812-3.