Yogyakarta, July 14, 2025 – Eka Nur Cahyani, a 2023 student of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, has embarked on a long journey in the world of dance. Since the age of 7, Eka has been acquainted with and has loved classical dance, particularly the Yogyakarta style, thanks to the support of her late father, who was a court servant (abdi dalem) at the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace.

“I started dancing since I was little, often brought to the palace by my father. Since then, I fell in love with classical dance and have continued learning until now,” she recalled.

Although she never studied at a formal dance studio, Eka gained knowledge from art teachers since elementary school and is now active as a member of UGM’s Swagayugama Student Activity Unit. There, she learns directly from the palace’s dance instructor, Dra. Veronica Ratnaningsih (Nyi Mas Riya Murtiharini).

Eka’s dedication to dance extends beyond performing. She has served as an instructor in the “Kampung Menari” program by the Yogyakarta City Cultural Office and has taught children in Pakembinangun. Since 2024, she has joined the Pamulangan Hamong Beksa at the palace, where she delves deeply into techniques, movement variations, philosophy, and ethics of Yogyakarta-style classical dance.

In addition to mastering Yogyakarta-style classical dance, Eka has broadened her horizons by studying Surakarta-style classical dances, such as Gambyong and Srimpi. Currently, she actively participates in the Pamulangan Hamong Beksa at the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace. Every Sunday at 12:00 PM, Eka attends the palace wearing full traditional attire (jangkep), consisting of a kebaya tangkeban, jarik seredan, sanggul tekuk and subal, subang, and carrying a Sampur Gendala Giri.

“I am motivated to keep learning because I come from an artistic family—my grandfather was a puppeteer (dhalang), my paternal grandfather was a court servant, and my mother is a sindhen (traditional singer),” she said.

For Eka, dancing is not merely about aesthetic movements but also a spiritual and personal expression. She believes that each dance movement embodies the philosophy of patience, sincerity, and harmony between the body, feelings, and rhythm.

“Dancing is a form of prayer. The movements teach us to be sincere and patient in facing life,” Eka expressed.

Since beginning her journey in dance, Eka has performed on numerous stages, from campus events like the Kraton Performance Tourism Package featuring the Senggana Duta play by Swagayugama at Bangsal Srimanganti, Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace, and the Grand Swagayugama Performance at Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, to national and international forums such as the 4th International Seminar on Malay-Javanese Studies (SEMEJA IV) and ASEAN in Today’s World.

Despite frequent performances, Eka maintains her enthusiasm for learning. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the concepts of wiraga (physical movement), wirama (rhythm), and wirasa (feeling), as well as knowing the names and meanings of various dance movements. According to her, consistency stems from love and the desire for continuous growth.

Eka Nur Cahyani’s journey in dance since the age of seven not only reflects her love for the art but also her tangible contribution to sustainable development. Through her activities in learning and teaching dance, especially to children, Eka supports SDG 4: Quality Education. Her role as an active woman in preserving culture aligns with SDG 5: Gender Equality. Moreover, her involvement in maintaining and revitalizing classical dance art strengthens SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities by preserving intangible cultural heritage as the identity of Yogyakarta’s society.

Eka proves that cultural preservation is not solely the responsibility of previous generations but also a duty for the current generation to ensure a more cultured future.

“If we feel we have talent, it needs to be developed through continuous practice and not being afraid to try, because I believe learning will never lead to regret, and every process in learning will shape us into individuals with true identity.” – Eka Nur Cahyani

[Public Relations FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

Yogyakarta, July 2, 2025 — Muhammad Bagus Ulin Nuha, a 2023 student of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Program at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) UGM, is a student who actively develops his potential in the fields of Master of Ceremony (MC) and public speaking.

Bagus’s interest in public speaking began at an early age. While in elementary school, he frequently participated in Indonesian speech competitions. His talent became even more prominent in junior high school, where he won first place in a speech contest. These experiences became the starting point of his journey into the MC world, which he continues to pursue to this day.

“For me, public speaking is not just about performing in front of others—it’s about learning from your surroundings and constantly improving yourself,” said Bagus.

Although academics remain his main priority, Bagus still makes time outside of class to practice and hone his voice. This commitment has given him considerable experience as an MC. One of his notable experiences was being entrusted as the MC for the Gadjah Mada Festival. He is also active as a volunteer, particularly in the event division.

Beyond MC work, Bagus also explores other forms of performing arts. He once studied dance at FIB and performed the traditional Jathilan dance at the 13th Gugur Gunung event organized by the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Program in 2024. He considered this a new step in his personal development journey.

That same year, he was also entrusted to guide the Pionir Kampung Budaya 2024 event, which further sharpened his public speaking skills. In addition, Bagus has served as MC for several UGM graduation ceremonies. This year, he was accepted as a part-time student staff at UGM’s Office of Public Relations and Protocol, assigned to the protocol division.

All of these activities align with UGM’s commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education, which encourages the development of life skills and vocational training among students. Bagus exemplifies how students can grow beyond the classroom, proving that education is not only about academics but also about shaping character and practical competence.

Furthermore, his experiences in MC and protocol work also support SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, by fostering early professional readiness during his studies. Through these experiences, students like Bagus are equipping themselves with relevant skills to face the future world of work.

Bagus emphasizes that everyone can develop their potential, as long as they have the willingness and consistency to grow. He also aims to prove that students of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture have many opportunities to thrive in various fields.

“To all my fellow FIB students—get to know your potential and don’t be afraid to try. FIB and UGM provide platforms for us to grow and develop,” he concluded.

[Public Relations FIB, Alma Syahwalani]

Yogyakarta, 31/05/2025 – Another proud achievement came from mahadaya (students of Cultural Sciences). Nurcholish Ramadhan, a 2024 student from the Department of Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, successfully directed the production of a theater performance entitled Sat-Set. The show was performed by Teater Berdaya in Prabusena (Cultural, Art, and Islamic Appreciation Stage of PD IPM Bantul) 2025 on Saturday night, May 31, 2025 at 20.00 WIB, at the 1st Floor Hall of the Da’wah Building of PDM Bantul.

Sat-Set Theater tells the story of the love journey of Fikar, a 28-year-old man, the son of a panewu (sub-district head), who falls in love with Alya – the daughter of his late father’s best friend. An accidental meeting in the square is the beginning of Fikar’s love story. After some research, Fikar learns that Alya is the daughter of Paklik Pram, his father’s old friend. They stay close for a month, but Fikar never proposes. To provoke Fikar’s sincerity, Paklik Pram created the rumor that Alya would be married off. The plan worked. Although Fikar initially only expressed his feelings in front of Paklik and Bulik Pram, he finally received their blessing. Later, Fikar went to the park where he often visited with Alya. There they meet again after not seeing each other for several days. Finally, Fikar expresses his love and immediately asks Alya to marry him.

The uniqueness of Sat-Set theater lies in its source of inspiration. Nurcholish Ramadhan said that Sat-Set was inspired by Serat Riyanta, a Javanese literary work written by R. B. Soelardi in 1918. In an online interview conducted on June 12, 2025, Nurcholish explained that his interest in the fiber began with a course assignment. “After I read Serat Riyanta from beginning to end, I was interested and liked the story, so I had an idea to translate it into a performance,” he explained.

The production process of the performance was not free from challenges. Nurcholish mentioned that the limited duration required him to summarize the narrative of Serat Riyanta effectively, without losing the essence of the story. In addition, funding constraints were also an obstacle. Nevertheless, he was grateful that the performance could run optimally.

“Through this performance, I learned to go deeper into the work that was referred to when it was adapted into a theater script. Then, I feel happy to be able to accommodate the potential and talents of my fellow Muhammadiyah students in the arts,” he said.

Sat-Set Theater is a tangible form of nguri-uri ‘preserving’ and ngurip-urip ‘enlivening’ regional arts, literature, and culture. Past literary works hold a wealth of historical values, knowledge, moral and didactic teachings, and interesting stories to be revived. Through the excavation, preservation and utilization of these cultural treasures, the community not only benefits sustainably, but also builds a sense of pride in the nation’s noble identity. As Nurcholish said at the end of the interview. “A history and culture will always be preserved when there are people who want to nyinau (learn) and adum ilmu (share knowledge),” he concluded.

[Haryo Untoro]

Yogyakarta, 30/4/2025 – Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in order to fulfill the mid-term exam assignment for the Productive Written Javanese Language course taught by Mas Imam Prakoso, students of Language, Literature, and Culture class of 2024 visited the Jogja Archives Diorama. The Jogja Archives Diorama is located at Jl. Janti No.Lt. 1, Banguntapan District, Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta.

The Jogja Archives Diorama displays archives that have a long historical connection from the land of Yogyakarta, namely from the era of Panembahan Senopati to the present day. The archives on display are of various forms, from those in textual form, photographs, audiovisuals, and others. These archives are managed and exhibited with the aim that the general public can learn lessons related to the history of the Special Region of Yogyakarta.

To enter the Jogja Archives Diorama building, students must pay a fee of Rp20,000.00. Meanwhile, the general public must pay IDR 30,000.00, and foreign tourists IDR 100,000.00. If you bring a group of more than 20 people, not all of them can enter at once. When entering the room, all 44 students and 1 lecturer were divided into 2 groups and 2 sessions.

Of the 44 students of the 2024 class, there were some who had never visited this exhibition before. “When entering the diorama room, it was the first time I saw a fairly complete archive from the Mataram Kingdom era to the present era, each room was explained in detail by the officer, and the most interesting thing is that this place is very suitable for students of Literature, History, Anthropology, and other social science clusters, because there are so many sources of information related to the science that can be studied by students in these departments,” said Ma’ruf, one of the students who was visiting the Yogyakarta Archive Diorama for the first time.

The most interesting thing according to Ma’ruf was that when entering the first room, the students were immediately greeted with animations from the Mataram Kingdom era. There it is explained how the Mataram Kingdom was formed, then when entering the last room there is a simulation or depiction of the 2006 Bantul Earthquake, there visitors feel as if they felt the vibrations of the earthquake when the earthquake occurred. With this interactive diorama, it is hoped that students and the general public will be more enthusiastic about appreciating and exploring the history of their own hometown.

[Public Relation of Javanese Literature, Haryo Untoro]

Yogyakarta, 30/4/2025 – As part of the assignment for the Javanese Literature Treasury course taught by Mrs. Dra. Wiwien Widyawati Rahayu, M.A., Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students from the class of 2024 visited the Lajang Watjan (re: Layang Wacan) exhibition located at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta. This assignment began with a group assignment. The groups that were formed departed individually, because there were still 2 days left of the exhibition, namely the 18th and 19th.

In the exhibition, what students observed were various books and manuscripts. After observing, students chose one material object to reveal its contents. One of them is Babad Pagedongan. In addition to revealing the contents of the book or manuscript, there was also a 1-minute short video assignment as proof that students had visited the exhibition. In addition to books, there were old manuscripts displayed on the walls and could not be touched because of their age. However, there were still many new manuscripts placed on the exhibition table and could be read.

“It’s actually interesting, the nuance is vintage and ancient but unfortunately not all of them can be opened,” concluded David Sofyan, one of the students who visited the exhibition. The books or manuscripts that caught his attention the most were those that discussed primbon, some of these manuscripts were even in Javanese script.

David was interested in manuscripts or books that discussed primbon because in his hometown, the use of primbon is still very closely related to all aspects of the community’s life. Examples of activities that still use primbon to calculate good and bad days are weddings, agriculture, and other events. This can then be studied and compared with modern sciences in today’s era. For example, is the relationship between good and bad days for agriculture in primbon still relevant to the science studied by our friends in the faculty of agriculture. The next question that can be asked is whether Javanese society with its titen science can still be implemented in today’s era, and whether it is linear or in line with the science discovered by modern foreign scientists.

David said that the exhibition was fun, like a vacation because he went around looking at ancient manuscripts, and the nuances were very supportive in terms of arrangement and lighting. “It’s like stepping back in time to when these manuscripts were written,” he said.

[Public Relation of Javanese Literature, Haryo Untoro]