Music that gives meaning and soul to the Jejak & Bisik and Gelumbang Raya dances

Accompanying music is often used to emphasize the meaning and ideas contained in a dance. However, composing music, especially for a specific purpose, is not easy. This is especially true when the dances contain complex and meaningful ideas. Producing a successful performance requires strong and mature collaboration between the choreographer and the composer, which takes a long time.

Gondrong Gunarto performance at Slendang Biru Tak Pernah Usai concert at the Museum and Gallery SBY – ANI at Pacitan, East Java – 20 Jun 2024. Curtesy: Gondrong Documentary Team.

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Musik yang memberi makna dan jiwa terhadap tarian Jejak &Bisik serta Gelumbang Raya

SBS Indonesian

08:05Indonesian

Gondrong Gunarto is an ethnomusicologist and contemporary gamelan composer. He collaborated with two Sydney-based Indonesian artists: Alfira O'Sullivan (founder and artistic director) and Murtala (choreographer and dancer) of Suara Indonesia Dance. Alfira and Murtala premiered their latest work, titled Sisa-Sisa, at the Sydney Festival on January 23-24, 2026.

Gondrong Gunarto describes the collaboration through the process of negotiating the concepts and ideas offered by the two dancers, as well as the meanings and movements they sought to convey. For Gunarto, this process was quite challenging and required patience, ensuring that his compositions could support and breathe life into Alfira's dances, Jejak & Bisik, and Gelumbang Raya, performed by Murtala.

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