Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) is currently committed to preserving Javanese cultures. For Javanese cultures to be preserved, the Electric Gamelan Community at Udinus provided a platform to high school students through the Dinus Gamelan, Traditional Dance, and Singing Audition (D’Agastara).
The audition was a part of a bigger event known as the 2024 Dinusfest. It was participated by 100 contestants grouped into 30 teams. In addition, the contestants mainly consisted of high school students from many different high schools within Central Java and Yogyakarta. It was hosted in the auditorium located on the third floor, on Thursday, January 25th, 2024.
Tirza Hermawan, the head of the committee, explained that there were three categories featured at the event. Those categories encompass Gamelan, Traditional Dance, and Traditional Song competitions. As for the criteria, these three categories had different assessment criteria. In the Gamelan category, the criteria included solidarity, musical expression, and physical aspects. Similar to the Gamelan category, the criteria of the Traditional Dance category also encompassed three aspects, namely, solidarity, facial expression, and inspiration. As for the Traditional Song category, the criteria mainly focused on vocal techniques used during the performance.
“We hosted this annual event for the young generation to be more loving toward their mother cultures, particularly Javanese ones. Whenever the participants performed their works, the audience emitted excitement and support resonating around the venue,” he explained.
The Vice Chancellor III of Student Affairs, Dr. Kusni Ingsih, M.M., stated that cultural preservation was necessary, especially for high school students. According to her, students should prioritize learning about local cultures instead of Western ones. Furthermore, she hoped all participants would implement this principle and keep developing Indonesian culture.
“We conduct the cultural preservation through our support for the E-Gamelanku Community, specifically by providing facilities to hone the skill possessed by the community member, as well as providing scholarships for accomplished students, both on national and international levels,” she concluded.
D’Agastara is one of the events featured at the 2024 Dinusfest. Dinusfest itself is an annual agenda consisting of a series of competitions and expos dedicated to high school students. There was a total of 36 events competed at the 2024 Dinusfest with thousands of contestants participating in those events. (Udinus/Haris. Foto: Humas Udinus)
