Author Information
Defrimont Era, Gadjah Mada University, IndonesiaNovi Kurnia, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia
Mutia Nurul Makhfirah, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia
Abstract
Banyuwangi, a regency located at the easternmost tip of Java Island, Indonesia, is well known for its rich traditional arts and cultural heritage. One of its enduring cultural icons from the colonial era to the present is the Gandrung dance, which was originally performed by a male dancer named Marsan in the early twentieth century under the tradition known as Gandrung Lanang (Male Gandrung). Initially, this dance served as a gathering medium for local fighters resisting colonial occupation. Over time, however, social changes led to the feminization of the Gandrung performance, with women becoming central figures in ceremonies, rituals, and annual festivals. This study explores gender transformation and the meaning of cultural communication in Banyuwangi’s Gandrung dance by employing Roland Barthes’s semiotic framework. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through documentation studies and YouTube video observations to analyze visual signs such as body, costume, expression, and movement within their cultural context. The results reveal that the feminization of Gandrung dancers is not merely a practical transformation but also an ideological shift that reflects negotiations between tradition and modernity. Female dancers thus emerge as symbolic agents of identity and aesthetic adaptation in response to the dynamics of cultural tourism and globalization.
Paper Information
Conference: KAMC2025Stream: Gender
This paper is part of the KAMC2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window
To cite this article:
Era D., Kurnia N., & Makhfirah M. (2026) From Male to Female Gandrung Dancers: A Semiotic Analysis of Gender Transformation and Cultural Communication in the Gandrung Dance of Banyuwangi ISSN: 2436-0503 – The Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 329-350) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2025.27
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2025.27
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress