Lengger () is a traditional

Javanese dance Javanese dance (; ) is the dances and art forms that were created and influenced by Javanese culture in Indonesia. Javanese dance movement is controlled, deliberate, and refined. Javanese art often displays finesse, and, at the same time, a ser ...

originating from

Banyumas Banyumas (, formerly spelled "Banjoemas") Regency is an inland regency () in the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Purwokerto, but that town no longer has a central administration and is split o ...

Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. This dance is played in pairs, between a man and a woman. Lengger dance is one of the

sacred dance Sacred dance is the use of dance in religious Ceremony, ceremonies and rituals, present in most religions throughout history and prehistory. Its connection with the human body and fertility has caused it to be forbidden by some religions; for exa ...

s in

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Etymology

''Lengger'' means 'male and female dancers' which comes from the (). The meaning of Lengger is to give advice and messages to everyone to be able to invite and defend the truth and get rid of ugliness.

History

The Lengger dance began with a competition from the King Brawijaya of

Majapahit Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island o ...

who lost his daughter, Dewi Sekartaji. The king rewarded whoever managed to find his daughter, if the person who finds it is a man, he will be married to his daughter but if it is a woman, he will be appointed to the royal family. This competition was participated by many knights and finally only 2 participants left, namely Raden Panji Asmara Bangun disguised as Joko Kembang Kuning from the Janggala kingdom and Prabu Klana from the opposite kingdom. It was Prabu Klana that made the King's daughter run away because she was about to be paired with Prabu Klana, to win the competition, Joko Kembang Kuning goes on a quest disguised as a topeng (masked) woman who dances from one area to another to lure the princess out of her hiding place. Joko Kembang Kuning's appearance attracted many crowds who saw his performance until finally the name of this dance was called Lengger which comes from 2 Javanese syllables, '' 'Ledek' '' which means male dancer and '' 'Geger' '' which means crowd. In the end, Dewi Sekar Taji emerged from hiding and finally Joko Kembang Kuning won the competition and married the princess. In their wedding, the bride and groom were treated to a performance of the Lengger dance. During the Islamic period, the popularity of the Lengger dance increased because it was used by

Sunan Kalijaga Sunan Kalijaga (born Raden Mas Said; 1450–1513) was one of the "nine saints" of Javanese Islam ( Wali Sanga). The "Kalijaga" title was derived from an orchard known as "Kalijaga" in Cirebon. Other accounts suggest that the name derives from ...

, one of the walisongo, to preach, until finally the meaning of Lengger was changed to 'Elingo Ngger', a Javanese phrase which means 'Remember'. Through this dance, Sunan Kalijaga reminded the people at that time to always remember the Almighty. In its development, this Lengger Dance is performed at every celebration event in Central Java. There are 2 dancers, namely men wearing masks and women wearing typical Javanese dancers clothes.

Form and Movement

This dance is performed by 2 dancers, a man and a woman in pairs. Typical of male dancers wearing topeng and typical of female dancers wearing traditional clothes and dressed like ancient Javanese princesses using a

kemben ''Kemben'' (, Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''kemban'') is an Culture of Indonesia, Indonesian female torso wrap historically common in Java, Bali, and other parts of the Indonesian archipelago. It is made by wrapping a piece of ''kain'' (clo ...

and ''selendang'' (

shawl A shawl (from ''shāl'') is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of Textile, cloth, but can also be Square (geometry), square or tr ...

). The duration of this dance is between 10 minutes in each round and is accompanied by music from traditional musical instruments such as gambang,

saron SARON stands for Swiss Average Rate Overnight and is a measurement of the overnight interest rate of the secured funding market denominated in Swiss Franc (CHF). It is based on transactions and quotes posted in the Swiss repo market, and is ad ...

kendang A ''kendang'' or ''gendang'' (, , , Tausug language, Tausug/Bajau/Maranao language, Maranao: ''gandang'', Buginese language, Bugis: ''gendrang'' and Makassarese language, Makassar: ''gandrang'' or ''ganrang'') is a two-headed drum used by peop ...

gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

s, and others.

References

{{Dance of Indonesia Dance in Indonesia Dances of Java Javanese culture

Etymology

History

Form and Movement

See also

References