Indrawati Lukman Dedicates Her Life to Sundanese Dance

RRI.CO.ID, Bandung – The contribution made by legendary traditional Sundanese dance maestro Indrawati Lukman (82) in preserving the art of dance should be recognized. For 58 years of work and dedication to Sundanese dance, the founder of the Indrawati Dance Studio (STI) in Bandung, West Java, has regularly held annual dance performances as a form of commitment to preserving the region's cultural heritage.

She has revived the Sundanese dance works that R. Tjetje Somantri, her teacher, passed down to her. The long creative process has resulted in dozens of works that re-interpret classical dance into modern forms while retaining its cultural origins.

Indrawati Lukman has kept Sundanese dance alive for 58 years despite having no backing from the local administration. At 82, the dance maestro continues to fight to preserve a culture that is increasingly marginalized.

She said that STI's survival to this day is largely due to her personal commitment and the support of her family, especially her late husband, Lukman, who has supported her in the arts from the beginning.

"Without my husband's support, STI probably wouldn't have survived until now," she said in Bandung, Friday, January 30, 2026.

Indrawati thinks the local administration hasn't been a major proponent of local culture and that public interest in traditional West Javanese dance has also kept falling.

"For decades, we have consistently put out pieces and staged shows, but STI still functions independently. The central government or local administration does not provide any money for production or the development of the younger generation. We survive on our own," she said, emphasizing that this is West Java's cultural legacy.

It's ironic that, given the numerous cultural projects that the government has frequently asserted, a dance school has managed to exist for about six decades without state funding. The state's failure to protect traditional arts is now represented by Indrawati Lukman, who is a figure of silent opposition.

She never retires. Despite the lack of systemic assistance, she is still solely responsible for safeguarding Sundanese dance due to her unwavering passion for the culture.

"I simply want Sundanese dance to live on. That's all," she said.

Indrawati and her Indrawati Dance Studio uphold tradition by performing dance drama fragments adapted from the Serat Menak, particularly the tale of Menak Cina, which features the character of Dewi Adaninggar. This tragic tale of love, jealousy, and war is presented through a combination of dance, light theater, multimedia, and puppeteer narration.

"There is still a lack of public appreciation. That's why I constantly work to develop new packages that appeal to the younger generation while still maintaining its classical foundation," she said.

"Common folks prioritize visuals; they become weary if the performance overly lengthy. So I packaged six straight dances, about 20 minutes without a break, and then interspersed dance drama fragments with Chinese stories. It just so happens that February is Chinese New Year," added Indrawati.

Irwan Jamal, the director of the dance drama, said that the piece is a method of reviving a nearly forgotten traditional tale, not simply a performance.

"This is the sad love story of Princess Adaninggar, based on the Amir Hamzah story, which was turned into Serat Menak by a poet from the Surakarta Palace. Irwan stated, "We integrate aspects of dance, theatrical images, multimedia, and puppeteer storytelling to make it relevant to today's audiences."

Irwan added that the performance demonstrates that Indrawati Lukman, the maestro of Sundanese traditional dance, is still capable of creatively fusing traditional dance with modern acts.

"The performance will also include Indrawati. The performance this year will be quite different from those in the past, and it will be fascinating to see," he said. (Misni Parjiati/Bambang MBKA)