1,400 Gandrung Sewu Dancers Participate in Sacred Procession, Indonesian Diaspora in US Moved

Jakarta – The day before the colossal performance of Gandrung Sewu 2025, as many as 1,400 dancers participated in the sacred Meras Gandrung procession at Marina Boom Beach, Banyuwangi today. This tradition is an important stage to be passed before thousands of dancers perform at the Gandrung Sewu event to be held on Saturday (25/10). This procession was led by the legendary Gandrung senior of Banyuwangi. Of the thousands of dancers involved, about 200 of them came from outside Banyuwangi, such as Malang, Kediri, Gresik, Pasuruan, Sidoarjo, Probolinggo, Bali and Situbondo. Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT Even several Banyuwangi diaspora from Sorong Papua, South Sumatra, and one dancer from the United States participated. Indonesian traditional dancer in America, Dian Novita, admitted that she was moved and had goosebumps when she participated in the Meras Gandrung ritual. “Feeling Gandrung today was very magical. I got goosebumps because it was the first time I witnessed it live,” he said in a written statement on Friday (10/24/2025). He said that he and the other dancers had been practicing very hard and were ready to give their best performance at tomorrow’s event. He said that he and the other dancers had been practicing very hard and were ready to give their best performance at tomorrow’s event. “Just get enough rest, eat regularly. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and there won’t be any obstacles,” said the dancer who was born in Tegaldlimo, Banyuwangi. In the same vein, a dancer from Sorong, Southwest Papua, Tri Wahyu Puspitasari (20), who came with two fellow dancers, Debby Fidtriani Sukma (22) and Tri Utami (21), admitted that his first experience of participating in the Gandrung Sewu procession in Banyuwangi was very memorable. “After participating in the Meras Gandrung procession, to be honest, I was moved and had goosebumps. We purposely came all the way to Banyuwangi just to experience this atmosphere. It felt extraordinary dancing with thousands of dancers from Banyuwangi,” he said. In fact, they were supported by the deputy regent of Sorong, Sutejo and his staff who also came directly to Banyuwangi to provide encouragement. “We are fully supported by the Sorong Regency government. Here we also learn from the enthusiasm of the people of Banyuwangi who can hold a cultural event of this magnitude known abroad,” said Sutejo. That’s what Fitriyatul Sakila (19), a dancer from Pasuruan, said. He came to dance with 24 colleagues at the Gandrung Sewu event. “I felt goosebumps and I did not expect to be able to participate in this procession. We hope that the event will go smoothly and lively tomorrow,” he said. Apart from that, he admitted that being able to appear in the Gandrung Sewu event has been his wish since childhood. Sakila even studied private dance lessons and practiced diligently to qualify for the Gandrung Sewu performance. “I learned Gandrung dance through private lessons. I was interested because I saw that Gandrung dance was different from the others. So I wanted to feel what it was like to be a Gandrung dancer,” said Sakila. (prf/ega)