Yogyakarta, November 4, 2024 – Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) recorded a brilliant achievement by winning a gold medal at the prestigious event *Pekan Olahraga dan Seni Universitas Gadjah Mada* (Porsenigama) 2024 in modern dance. The competition was held at GOR Pancasila UGM from October 28 to November 3, 2024, with the theme “PASSION: Do What You Love, Love What You Do. “

Porsenigama 2024, which is an annual event to accommodate the interests and talents of UGM students in the field of arts and sports, aims to create an inclusive space that involves all elements of the community, from athletes to spectators. This activity is not only a competition, but also a means of expression that helps students unwind from the routine of lectures and strengthen the sense of togetherness between students.

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The Faculty of Cultural Sciences dance team delivered a stunning performance with innovative choreography, combining strong technique and creative visuals. They managed to present movements that reflected the spirit and self-expression in harmony with the theme, and captivated the judges with their cohesiveness and impressive musicality. One of the dance team members expressed his gratitude and pride for this victory. “We practiced hard to present the best dance that reflects the ‘PASSION’ theme. This gold medal is proof that hard work and love for art brings proud results,” he said.

The assessment criteria applied in this competition include choreography and technique, creativity, musicality, cohesiveness, as well as visuals and properties. The Faculty of Cultural Sciences’ success in fulfilling all these aspects very well was the main key in winning. Porsenigama 2024 is expected to continue to be an important platform for students to develop their interests and talents in arts and sports, as well as creating a fun and festive atmosphere on campus.

The competition that the Tourism & BSO Sastra Oebah Team participated in on May 15-17, 2024 was called the Indonesian Tourism Competition. The competition was held at Bandung State Polytechnic. For the competition itself, as the title suggests, it is related to tourism. However, there are several general branches of competition, one of which is creative dance. The participants were spread throughout Indonesia, although not all of them participated. At that time, the team of students from the Faculty of Humanities, Gadjah Mada University won 3rd place out of 12 participants. Creative Dance Competition is a talent test that focuses on the creativity of contemporary dance movements including harmonization between wiraga, wirasa, wirama, weitra, accompanied by traditional music and modern Indonesian music. With the theme “Revive The Culture of The Land a Thousand Islands”, this competition aims to create a creative dance where participants can perform extinct traditional Indonesian dance performances with modern vibes.

Sastra Oebah is a semi-autonomous body of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, which is engaged in dance (traditional classical and contemporary creations). In 2023, Sastra Oebah was formed to become the new identity and face of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. The beginning of the naming of Sastra Oebah itself is because it is in the Faculty of Letters (Faculty of Cultural Sciences) and Oebah means “moving” which is then elaborated as a symbol that BSO Sastra Oebah is a BSO engaged in dance. The establishment of Sastra Oebah was seen by several students who have potential in the field of dance. In this case, Sastra Oebah is able to realize several implied questions related to the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, which is identical to the variety of cultures in it, but does not have an institution/community engaged in this field (traditional classical dance and contemporary creations in particular). The mission of Sastra Oebah itself was formed by not being closed, which means that it is only open to students of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. However, Sastra Oebah opens as many opportunities as possible for non-faculty students if they have an interest in joining Sastra Oebah. interested in joining as part of Sastra Oebah.

SDGs 4: Quality Education

Jhony Fonsen, a bachelor student majoring in Tourism at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, is one of the accomplished and talented individuals behind the establishment of the Semi-Autonomous Body (BSO) “Sastra Oebah,” which is now widely recognized.

It all began with his concern, which later turned into a significant question within himself, “Why doesn’t the Faculty of Cultural Sciences have a dance BSO?” He was puzzled; how could a faculty labeled “cultural” lack a dance community, especially covering creative, traditional, and modern dances? From this concern emerged the idea of ​​establishing Sastra Oebah. Initially, doubts surrounded his journey, considering this was not an easy thing to be done. However, with the assistance of Dr. Wulan Tri Astuti, S.S., M.A., commonly known as Madame Wulan, they eventually agreed on this intriguing idea. Subsequently, the faculty endorsed this idea, starting from the issuance of official documents (SK), until the formation of the name “Sastra Oebah.”

The year 2023 marked the beginning of the formation of this BSO, which became a significant identity and new face for the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM. The name of this BSO was derived from the background of the faculty, which was formerly known as the Faculty of Literature and Oebah, which means movement in Indonesian. From these two words, he elaborated a living symbol that the Sastra Oebah BSO is active in the field of dance arts, particularly in creative, traditional, and modern dances.

Sastra Oebah itself is open. This means that although this BSO is within the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, its membership is not limited to students within the faculty alone. Sastra Oebah BSO opens up opportunities as much as possible for students outside the Faculty of Cultural Sciences who have an interest in dance arts.

During the formation of this BSO, Jhony naturally involved several people around him. One of them is Mbak Ninda, a student majoring in Archaeology who deeply embodies art. Then, after successfully forming and gathering many members, he decided to organize the management of this organization. Along with his equally talented friends, Jhony and 9 others agreed to be at the forefront of Sastra Oebah. They are Jhony Fonsen, Putri Dea Amara, An’cahya Titin Nafisa, Dewi Masyifa Antaningrum, Novalia Hidayatus Sholihah, Puspita Sari Dwi Apriyanti, Anggit Galuh Ajar Amanah, Galuh Dhinar Divanka, Bening Embun Pagi, Ervita Ninda Iswantari.

Interestingly, although classified as a new BSO, this organization has already caught the attention of the wider community and has achieved several accomplishments in dance competitions over the past year. Some of these include:

• Indonesian Tourism Competition in Bandung (2nd place)
• Kulon Progo Carnival
• Participation in the International Students Gathering event
• Esqa Collaboration
• UGM museum anniversary
• Porsenigama 2023 (1st place in Traditional Dance)
• Porsenigama 2023 (2nd place in Modern Dance)
• Regular performances at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences graduation ceremonies
• Participation in the Tourism Business Travel Olympiad
• Participation in the Village Chief Festival
• Participation in the National Zoology Olympiad FKH
• Participation in the Chemistry Futsal League
• Collaboration in the Malaysia-Indonesia Art Integration Program
• Participation in the 2023 Family Day of the Anniversary celebration
• Participation in Pionir PPSMB 2023
• Participation in Kampung Budaya PPSMB 2023
• Participation in Gelex 2023
• Participation in the 2024 Family Day of the Anniversary celebration

The strong cultural element inherent in the faculty’s identity cannot be separated from dance arts. It is hoped that the Sastra Oebah BSO can become a new color that strengthens the identity of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences.