Board IDF

Retno Sulistyorini began learning dance at the age of 15 at the Indonesian Karawitan High School (SMKI) Surakarta, and continued to study dance at the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) Surakarta. As a dance artist, Retno was awarded the Empowering Women Artist by the Kelola Foundation (2010-2011). Apart from creating her own works, she also actively collaborates with other choreographers, directors and artists.

Active not just in expanding the ideas and the works of the body, Fitri Setyaningsih also combines the body’s interaction with other sources of power including daily objects, sound/noises, conceptual art, and other eclectic realms (interdisciplinary). Her work is deeply linked to the presence of self, layered universes, and archeology. Fitri also initiated a cross-medium space called Tamu Semesta.

Otniel Tasman, a choreographer deeply rooted in Javanese traditions, especially Banyumas, his hometown. He explores the Banyumas Lengger Tradition as his mother tongue, which gives him the experiences to understand life and inspires him to create dance works that explore gender identity.

Abib Habibi Igal, a choreographer from Central Kalimantan, completed his undergraduate education at the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) Yogyakarta with a major in Dance Choreography. Since 2012 he has continued to conduct research expeditions on Wadian Dadas, a healing ritual of the Dayak Ma'anyan tribal community in Central Kalimantan.

Maharani Pane is a dancer and choreographer from Jakarta, Indonesia. She graduated from the Jakarta Arts Institute, (IKJ) Faculty of Performing Arts, majoring in Dance. Her artistic practice is oriented on combining elements from various art and media disciplines such as theater, installation art, and visual mapping.

Minori Sumiyoshiyama is a Japanese artist, dancer, actor and researcher. Her works focus on the relationship between space and body. She also creates relationships with audiences with tools of her own making, such as dancing with balloons which include the breath of audiences, or playing a Japanese traditional card game together with the audiences.

Choreographer and dancer from Papua trained in the traditional and social dances of Papua from a young age. With his dance group, Freedom Squad, he successfully represented Indonesia to various national and international competitions, including Gatsby Dance Competition in Japan 2009

Buboy Raquitico adalah seniman gerak dari Filipina yang minat tematiknya terletak pada interseksionalitas dan mengeksplorasi paralelisme antara ruang perkotaan dan artefak serta manifestasinya dalam interaksi manusia. Dia adalah mantan anggota ruang kolaboratif kontemporer, Daloy Dance Company yang didirikan oleh Ea Torrado.

Mukhlis (Madre) is a dance artist from Pandeglang, Banten, Indonesia with a big vision to develop Indonesia’s art and culture within and outside the country. The graduate of ISI Yogyakarta (2021) explores traditional, modern, and contemporary dance.

nu Kolektif is an art collective based in Atambua, Belu, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia consisting of members with diverse backgrounds. Each member has their own characteristics in working using different mediums, including visuals (photography, videography, illustration, and visual communication design) and literature.

Pebri Irawan is a choreographer and postgraduate student at ISI Yogyakarta. He began to pursue dance after enrolling in dance major at ISI Yogyakarta.

Pratama Reski Wijaya, nicknamed Kiki, is an alumnus of the Department of Dance Education at an institute in Banjarmasin. He currently lives in Curup, Rejang Lebong Regency, Bengkulu, Indonesia and works as a performer, choreographer, actor, and cameraman at Teater Senyawa.

Ren Xin Lee is interested in what the body embodies and how it can co-create with time. She worked with ritual and repetition in public space.

Susan is a dancer, choreographer, and gymnastics instructor. He was born in Liwa, West Lampung, Indonesia on 30 December 1994. He studied dance creation at ISI Yogyakarta (2012-16), then continued on his postgraduate studies taking the same major at the same institution (2017-19).

Theodora Melsasail is a female dancer from Tanimbar Islands, Maluku, Indonesia who studied dance autodidactically. Theo decided to pass on her dance works as a way to educate the locals in Maluku, especially children, through her community Theo Dance Family.

Tri Putra Mahardhika H (Dhika) was born in Jambi in 1988. He has been involved in dance since 2008, when he joined Langkan Budaya Taratak art community. Dhika studied dance at ISI Padangpanjang (2011).

Tyoba Armey, or better known as Tyobabond, was born in Blora Regency, Central Java, Indonesia in 1995. He studied at SMKN 10 Bandung (SMKI), continued with an undergraduate program at ISI Surakarta, and a postgraduate program at ISBI ​​Bandung. Tyobabond is currently working as a lecturer at the Dance Department of ISBI Bandung and Integrated Art Study Program at the Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung.

Usman Najrid Maulana is a dance artist who was born on 14 December 1983 in Tarakan, North Kalimantan, Indonesia. Usman continued his education in the dance department of ISI (2004-13). He pursued a career as a professional dancer and opened a studio named Pagun Tengara ART in his hometown Tarakan.

Endure (The Youth United Will Endure) is a Timor Leste-based dance academy founded in 2010 by eight teenagers involved in the local hip hop scene. They also share an interest in exploring hip hop-related elements, including graffiti, rap, beatboxing, and DJ.

Gita Kinanthi is a dance artist and educator. She did her postgraduate study in PPS ISI Yogyakarta (2012), and since 2015 has stayed in South Kalimantan and worked as a lecturer in the Dance Education major of STKIP PGRI Banjarmasin. She focuses to explore dance and dance education through collaborative work, research, and experiment.

Zhibek Birikova, better known as Jibek, is a 30-year-old choreographer, director, performer, and intuitive musician who has developed her career since 2009. She plays shaman tambourines, djembe, glucophone, harmonica, kalimba, Jew’s harp, and is actively involved in spiritual practices.

Angela Goh is an artist who works with dance and choreography. Her work is presented in contemporary art contexts and traditional performance spaces. Most recently her work has been performed at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Sydney Opera House, and a range of venues in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America including Performance Space New York, Auto Italia, Baltic Circle, Shedhalle and Taipei Performing Arts Center.

Ferry Alberto Lesar, a dancer and choreographer, was born in Manado, 13 February 1993. As an alumni of the Department of Dance, Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ), he studied various dance genres such as break dance, traditional, modern, even hip-hop which later influenced his choreography style. He has collaborated with a number of notable choreographers from Indonesia and overseas, including Hartati, Eko Supriyanto, Tom Ibnur, Yola Yulfanti, Peter Wilson, Kapronczai Erika, and Arno Schuitmaker.

This cross-disciplinary collective of artists consistently works on projects that break down boundaries between art and other fields. Gymnastics Emporium’s works often play with performance aspects in the sports category, for example in the bodily and spectacle details.

Moh. Hariyanto (b.1986), also known as Hari Ghulur, is a choreographer and dancer based in Surabaya. His works “Ghulur”, “Ghabal”, “White Stone”, ”Sila”, and “Jap_Vanese”, have been presented in T.H.E Contact Contemporary Dance, Europalia Art Festival, University of Malaya, American Dance Festival, and Indonesian Dance Festival.

Mella Jaarsma is known for her complex costume installations and her focus on forms of cultural and racial diversity embedded within clothing, the body and food. She was born in the Netherlands in 1960 and studied visual art at Minerva Academy in Groningen (1978-1984), after which she left the Netherlands to Indonesia to study at Jakarta Institute of Arts (IKJ, 1984) and at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) in Yogyakarta (1985-1986). In 1988, she co-founded Cemeti Art House (with Nindityo Adipurnomo), the first space for contemporary art in Indonesia.

Pichet Klunchun bridges traditional Thai Classical Dance language with contemporary sensibility, while keeping the heart and wisdom of the convention. He trained in Thai Classical Mask Dance, Khon, from age 16 with Master Chaiyot Khummanee. Over the past 15 years, Pichet has earned domestic notoriety for his efforts in contemporising Khon.

Besides being a choreographer, Sherli Novalinda is also a dance lecturer at the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) Padangpanjang. As an artist-scholar), she has been actively creating works since 2003. She is interested in conducting research and experiment on the creation of contemporary dances, both traditional and non-traditional, and has various experiences of interdisciplinary collaboration with local and international artists.

The eldest of four siblings, M. Safrizal is a choreographer born in Aceh on August 22, 1996. He began his dance debut in junior high school and later on started his dance education at the Indonesian Cultural Arts Institute (ISBI) in Aceh. Before being known as a choreographer, DekJall - Safrizal’s nickname - worked as a traditional musician. One of his latest works “Frekuensi Rasa”, which talks about violence trauma and its lasting effects on the body, was shown at the 2019 Contemporary Dance Market (PASTAKOM) in Pekanbaru, Riau.

Prior to being a contemporary dance choreographer, Eka Wahyuni started her career as a traditional East Kalimantan dancer, based in Yogyakarta. The idea of archives and memories within the body, myths, and social phenomenon are her main interests in creating works. Since 2016, she has been working on a long-term project “Pesona Tari Gong” (“The Enchantment of Tari Gong”), along with other works revolving around dance-body records such as “Rekalindung” (2021) and “Dancing the Monument” (2022).

Jared Jonathan Luna is a dance artist and aspiring memelord from Manila, Philippines. They have a masters degree in Dance Anthropology and Ethnochoreology from Choreomundus: International Master in Dance Knowledge Practice and Heritage. Jared is interested in vernacular movement systems in urban spaces.

Kornkarn Rungsawang is a Thai classical and contemporary dancer. Based in Bangkok, she graduated from Burapha University with a Bachelor in Music and Performing Arts in 2010. Since then, she has been working with Pichet Klunchun Dance Company. As a dance artist, she aims to bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary dance. In 2017, she participated in an art residency program in New York on an individual Fellowship Grant from the Asian Cultural Council. She also took part in the International Choreographers Residency Program at the American Dance Festival.

Leu Wijee is an Indonesian (self-taught) artist, dancer and choreographer who divides his time between Palu and Jakarta. He describes his approach of “between disaster and dance” as his ideation process. His artistic research and practice is based on exploring personal and collective traces. His movement language tends to be minimalistic and relentless. He experiments and uses choreography to switch on “many things” (senses, spaces, sounds, etc),and others that resonate with his practice.

Actor and dancer currently based in Tokyo and Chigasaki. Graduated in theater & dance at JF Oberlin University. Her recent works focus on the relationship between the human body and objects. She was selected as a Japanese performer for the "Program for Future Dancers" in Tokyo Arts Festival Farm-Lab Exhibition (2021-2022). She has performed in Indonesian Dance Festival 2022, Jakarta; ADAM Kitchen 2023, Taipei; and Taitung Fringe Festival 2023, Taiwan.

Initiated by the late Chairul Rahman, this collective processes works of art through a media known as mapping projection. Today, Flipside AV consists of Kukuh Gandhia Poetra, Tri Oktoviano, and Afanpaper. Their works take shape as performances with three elements - visual arts, performing arts, and film arts - within them.

Arco Renz works as choreographer, director, dancer, dramaturge, curator, lecturer. As artistic director of Brussels based dance company Kobalt Works he has during 25 years created a profuse oeuvre of choreographies in Europe and Asia, in parallel developed a practice in dramaturgy for contemporary dance in a transcultural context. His body of work particularly cares about elaborating the intersection of research, exchange and knowledge through performance practice.

Ajeng Soelaeman was born on March 6, 1984 in Jakarta and grew up with an education in Ballet Advanced Royal Academy of Dance and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Dance at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ). She became the main dancer in the Jeckos Dance created by Jecko Siompo and in Hartati, a work from the Swarnadwipa Dance Company.

Mila Rosinta Totoatmojo was born in Jakarta, May 15, 1989 and was seven when she encountered dance. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance Creation at the postgraduate of the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta. Having studied Balinese dance, Mila switched to Javanese dances and culture after joining Tembi Dance Company in 2009.

Siko Setyanto - a dancer and choreographer - started studying from the age of nine with Wied Sendjayani at Sanggar Maniratari, Solo. Founder of the Risk Dance Group and the Dansity Dance Company, Siko is also serving a term as a member of the Dance Committee of the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) from 2020 to 2023.

Arsita Iswardhani is an actor, performance-maker, dramaturg, and a collective member of Teater Garasi / Garasi Performance Institute, based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She explores methods of performance-making through various intercultural and interdisciplinary approaches, studying martial arts, Javanese dance, the Suzuki Method, and corporeal ethnography as a means of performance.

Dance artist whose artistic practice revolves around the critical reading of “what is the body” and “what is space”, as well as how the dialogue between these two ideas shape reality. Since 2018, he has worked as a collaborator in two works by German choreographer Isabelle Schad, staged at Tanzplattform Deutschland 2020.

Originally from California, Jeannie moved to Yogyakarta in 1996. She is a Javanese dance practitioner and was the first non-Javanese to be accepted at Yogyakarta’s Royal Court as a dancer. Currently she served as the executive director of the non-profit organization and cultural landmark Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja (PSBK) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Yudi is known as an experimental director who pushes Indonesia’s theater aesthetics to the next level, and has presented his works in international forums across Asia, Europe, America, and Australia. He is also one of the founders of Teater Garasi - an interdisciplinary artist collective in Yogyakarta.

Sari entered the world of drama at a very young age and was actively participating in Kak Yana's drama group. Since 1978 until now, she has been involved in the Teater Koma group as an actress, stage manager, production manager, and director.

Farah Wardani is an art historian and curator who currently serves as the Director of Jakarta Biennale 2021, and Visual Arts Committee member of the Jakarta Arts Council. Previously, Farah served as the executive director of Indonesian Visual Art Archive (IVAA) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with works including the IVAA Digital Archive, the first digital archive of contemporary art in the country.

Ayu Utami is an award-winning Indonesian writer who was the 2000 Prince Claus Award Laureate. During Indonesia's military regime, Ayu was a journalist and press freedom activist. She was one of the founders of The Alliance of Independent Journalists which was later banned by the military regime. Her first novel Saman (1998), published just a few days before Soeharto stepped down, was highly acclaimed by literary critics and became a bestseller as well as an icon of the spirit of freedom during the political change (Reformasi) in Indonesia.

Kennya Rinonce is a storyteller who uses theater, dance, and live-events as her creative medium (Drupadi ID—2018). She has been involved with the Ministry of Education and Culture through an art residency in New Zealand (Cultural Activist) along with the Indonesian Creative Economy Agency by helping develop a dance community program in Wakatobi, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Yacobus Ari R (l. 1991, tinggal dan bekerja di Bandung) adalah pengajar seni dan kurator. Ia tergabung dalam staf ajar Integrated Arts - Fakultas Filsafat Universitas Parahyangan, dengan sejak sebelumnya telah menguratori, menulis, dan meneliti untuk berbagai presentasi pameran dan proyek seni.

Born in Payakumbuh, West Sumatra on October 13, 1990, Heru Joni Putra studied and graduated in English Literature FIB Andalas University and Cultural Studies FIB Universitas Indonesia. His first book entitled "Badrul Mustafa" (2017) was awarded the Best Poetry Book version of TEMPO Magazine 2018 and the 2019 Wisran Hadi Award.

Sankar Venkateswaran is a theater director who studied directing at School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of Calicut, after which he trained at Theater Training and Research Programme, Singapore. In 2007, he founded Theater Roots & Wings. In 2013 he received the Ibsen Scholarship from Teater Ibsen, Norway, for “Tribal Ibsen Project” which furthered his work with the indigenous people in the mountain valley of Attapadi, Kerala.

Mandeep Raikhy is a dance practitioner based in New Delhi. He trained at Trinity Laban and worked with Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, London, for several years. Mandeep has created and toured extensively for many of his dance works, notably “Inhabited Geometry” (2010), “a male ant has straight antennae” (2013) and “Queen Size” (2016).

Together with Isa Köhler, Katharina Kucher took over as the co-director of Internationale Tanzmesse NRW in 2021. Until then she acted as head of project and contract management at HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin. Before that, she worked as a freelance researcher for the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e. V. and wrote several studies on cultural development and cultural funding.

IDF co-founder

IDF co-founders

IDF co-founders

Marzuki Hasan and Nurdin Daud have made significant updates both in the structure and tradition of Acehnese dances, that they could appeal to a wider audience, especially the younger generations.

Dance has always been a part of Ratri Anindyajati, a cultural producer and dance enthusiast. She encountered many artistic expressions - from dance, literature, to visual - from a very early age. Many of her family members are involved in the arts, be it as artists, reviewers, and educators. Her proximity with arts shape her vision to be an ambassador for Indonesian culture in the international stage.

Director of IDF

Finance Manager

Curator of IDF

Festival Manager

Festival Manager

Marketing Manager

Opening Performance Coordinator in IDF 2024

Performance Coordinator in IDF 2024

The spectres of choreography in the context of this archive exhibition has nothing to do with the astral concept where psychic phenomena take place. The spectres here, in contrast, is closely related to the history of materialism concept, where various cultural and artistic dance practices are formed. This exhibition archive is put together to mark and get to know the spectres of choreography that shadowed our past dance practices, ones that we inherit today.

Co-curator IDF 2022

Nia Agustina has been involved in nurturing young talents in the Indonesian dance scene through writing, curating, and dramaturgy practices since she founded Paradance Platform in 2014. She maintains a dance and performing arts critique and review site gelaran.id with her husband, Ahmad Jalidu, since 2017. Nia is also active in discussions and studies around gender equality and inclusivity through her activities in several institutions which influences her approach in performing arts.

Working with live arts, dance, and queer culture, Paris-based Taiwanese artist River Lin is curator of the Taipei Arts Festival, ADAM, Camping Asia and Curatoké: Performance Curator Academy at the Taipei Performing Arts Center. He is also co-curator of the Indonesian Dance Festival, guest-curator of the 2025 Biennale de la Danse de Lyon, and guest co-editor for the OnCurating's special issue.

Co-curator IDF 2022

The body is an endless recorder. Puri Senja goes on a journey within herself, unraveling the piles of memories, traumas, and parts of life shaped her in her long-term work, “The Other Half”. This work is both personal and political.

When one thinks of a dangdut performance, the scenes that will likely come up include the sound of electone and drums pounding, flirtatious vocals with a Malay twist, body contortions, and the audience - the majority of men - swaying with the atmosphere.

The Indonesian Dance Festival (IDF) finally held a launch event for the Loka Tari Nusantara Foundation (YLTN) and Friends of IDF (FoIDF) on Friday, January 13, 2023 at the Nusantara Ballroom, The Dharmawangsa, Jakarta. This event was a special moment that marked IDF's determination in striving to create a sustainable performing arts ecosystem in Indonesia.

His collaboration in Museum II: Ridden with Mio Ishida, a choreographer from Japan, left a deep impression on Leu. Leu realized that he and Mio shared similar experiences, both living in areas prone to earthquakes and natural disasters. While in Japan, one of the outcomes from their joint creative process is the concept of the body in ‘standby’ mode.

IDF launches its new visual identity, signaling a sound effort from this 30-year-old organization to stay relevant with the growth of dance ecosystem

SONGKABALA LAE-LAE! is a social choreography formed from a prayer ritual. In this occasion, Songkabala is performed to voice the locals’ sentiment on an impending reclamation that would impact their lives.

Choreographer and dancer born in Sukabumi, West Java. She finished her Masters in Artistic Creation in Indonesia Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta. Since 2016, her practice digs into historical events, tradition, lifestyle, and women in the Sundanese socio-cultural perspective. Auto-ethnography became the working method developed in her creative research and process, placing the body as the main medium expressed through dance works, videos, performances, and exhibitions.

Megatruh Banyu Mili is a dancer and choreographer from Yogyakarta who has been active in performing arts since 2010 with Bengkel Mime Theater and Theater Garasi/Garasi Performance Institute.

Valentina Ambarwati was born in Bantul in 1996 and has been exposed to the world of dance since she was eight years old. By her father, who is a folk artist in the Bantul area, Valentina was introduced to Jathilan folk art, which forms a strong body of tradition in her movements.

Siti Alisa is an independent dance artist based in Jakarta. Alisa studied classical ballet dance for 15 years at the Namarina Dance Academy and received an Advanced degree in Royal Academy of Dancing (ARAD). Alisa continued her studies at the Jakarta Arts Institute and graduated in 2017.

Putu Arista Dewi, who was born in 1995, is a dancer and choreographer from Jembrana, Bali, who currently lives in Yogyakarta. In the last two years, Arista has collaborated extensively with fellow artists across disciplines, including theatre, music and visual art.

Her career in dance industry began as a choreographer, then grew into that of an educator and manager of the creative platform she initiated: Loka Art in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. She also has a 10-year experience as a performing arts producer.

Anter has practiced dance since the age of 8, then pursued it through formal education at SMKI Yogyakarta (1996), followed by ISI Yogyakarta majoring in Dance Arts with a main interest in Dance Composition (1999). He started his career as a dancer at the Ramayana Ballet Purawisata Yogyakarta (1992-2001). In 2006, he founded Anterdans dance group, which regularly produces new works.

Agung is the founder and director of Agung Dancing Center whose personal practice involves roles as a dancer, artistic director, choreographer, and vocalist. In his formative years as a dance practitioner, he was trained and mentored by some of Indonesia’s late maestros: Bagong Kussudiardja, RM Ywandjono, R. Aj. Sri Kadarjati, and Martinus Miroto.

Sri Cicik Handayani, familiarly called Cici, was born in 2000 in Sumenep, Madura. She began dancing at seven years old due to the encouragement of her father, who is a Madurese master puppeteer.

Lawatari Padang Panjang, held on 6-7 December 2023, was the second program in the Lawatari series leading up to Indonesian Dance Festival 2024.

Five young choreographers performed their works, dance practitioners exchanged insights, while performing arts managers collaborated to make Lawatari: Yogyakarta happen.

YLTN-IDF Fundraising Night at The Dharmawangsa Jakarta unites individuals and organizations with a shared concern for Indonesia’s dance ecosystem.

One of Indonesia’s most renowned dance maestros, cultural icon, and comedian. He grew up learning cross-gender dances and studied under many Indonesian dance maestros. He has also studied Nihon Buyo drama and Noh in Japan, Bharatanatyam in India, and Flamenco in Spain. He is also the founder of LPK Natya Lakshita (1980) and Didik Nini Thowok Entertainment.

Akira Matsui is a master actor-teacher of the Kita School of classical noh. Born in 1946 in Wakayama, at the age of 7 he began studying noh and took on numerous child roles. At age 12, he went to Tokyo to become a “live-in apprentice” to Kita Minoru, the 15th generation head of the Kita School and returned to his hometown at age 21 where he is now based. He has been active for 45 years teaching and performing in over 25 countries.

Richard Emmert is professor of Asian Performance at Musashino University and a certified Kita school noh instructor. Born in the USA, he has studied, taught and performed classical noh drama in Japan since 1973, and led a Noh Training Project in Bloomsburg (US) for 20 years. Emmert has led noh performance projects around the world and composed/directed/performed in eleven English noh plays, including Jannette Cheong’s Pagoda (2009, 2011). He is founder and artistic director of Theatre Nohgaku.

A dancer and a choreographer, founder of Dashing Theater. Through Dashing Theater, he aims to create absorbing and engaging images with dance by interweaving Taiwanese historical memories with contemporary issues. Huang’s concerns include: how to connect people with dance, and how to bring their attention to societal issues through dance. Before the establishment of Dashing Theater in 2020, Huang was a dancer and choreographer at Horse Dance Theater and also a resident choreographer for Cloud Gate 2 in 2015 and 2017.

Wayan Sumahardika is a writer, director, and theatermaker born in Denpasar, 1992. His artistic practices move in the intersection between dance, film, and artistic creations to measure the relationship of performance watching experience and daily reality through archivistic-repertoar and speculative approach. Suma is active as the artistic director of Mulawali Institute and initiated B-PART (Bali Performing Arts Meeting).

Born in Jakarta and delves in the dance world through the Animal Pop Family community. Since 2012, he has been involved in collaborations including John Heginbotham (USA), Ismaera Takeo (Japan), Christian Mejia (Costa Rica), and Park Je Chun (South Korea). Besides dancing for various Indonesian choreographers, Angga was also involved in Festival Hujung Medini (Malaysia, 2017), Ansan Street Festival (South Korea, 2019), and was one of the main presenters of Indonesian Dance Festival (2016).

Ishvara Devati (she/her) is a trans-artist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She focuses on interdisciplinary explorations in performing arts. Ishvara has participated in various workshops such as CP[3] by Dance Nucleus and Feminist Activism Tech Camp by PurpleCode. Her practice tends to explore ideas about transwoman identity.

Bunny Cadag (b.1991, she/they) is a Filipino transfeminine multi-disciplinary artist, whose works are in the intersections and transitions of theater, film, performance, and installation arts. Her research is focused on pre-colonial gender plurality, traditional singing rituals, healing practices, and gender equality. Her performances are often participatory and community-based, amplifying voices of marginalized groups within the wider community while thoughtfully navigating defamiliarized shapes and spaces with empathy and generosity.

Noutnapha Soydala is a Lao dancer and co-founder of the Fanglao Dance Company since 2013 with the aim of developing the practice of contemporary dance and encouraging international artistic cooperation. She began learning Lao Traditional Dance at age of six during primary school in Vientiane. In 2006, She discovered contemporary dance during a dance workshop with Lao-French choreographer Olé Khamchanla.

Performer, theater creator, and actress graduated from Maastricht Institute of Performative Arts. In her documentary performances, Nastaran aims to provide a platform for people who are unheard, opening access, and creating new perspectives. Her show Songs for no one twice received the BNG Bank Theater award (in 2020 and 2021), an award from Flemish Theater Festival 2022, and Theater der Welt in Frankfurt-Offenbach in 2023.

American-born Chinese Alex Dea received Ethnomusicology Ph.D at Wesleyan University specializing in Javanese gamelan music, and he was a member of Young’s Theatre of Eternal Music. Dedicated to full-time ethnography and research in Surakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia since 1992.

Theatre artist engaged in noh as a practitioner and researcher. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Hawaii where he is researching nohgaku performers outside the noh world and on international stages. He is a founding member and current Development Director of Theatre Nohgaku, for whom he has worked extensively both onstage and off.

Born in Laos, grew up in France, and discovered hip-hop dance in 1990. He trained with various choreographers in France, then returned to Laos and Thailand which deepened his choreographic language. In 2010, Ole initiated, FANG MAE KHONG (Listen to the Mekong), Laos’ first international dance festival.

Marrugeku is an Indigenous and intercultural dance company based in the remote community of Broome in the north of Western Australia. Combining dance, storytelling, installation art, video, song and spoken word, Marrugeku’s productions are co-created with artists from diverse backgrounds and art forms.

Freya is an Independent Producer based in Australia. She has held roles with organizations in Australia and internationally, working across film, gaming, performance, music, and festivals.

Non-Performance Coordinator in IDF 2024

Taiwanese freelance artist, former dancer of the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, and dance teacher. She explores the dialectical relationship between her performance experience and inner intentions, seeking freedom from bodily unity. She is dedicated to creation, performance, body development, and dance education.

Choreographer, performer, and performance curator based in Hong Kong. Lee was appointed as the artistic director of Unlock Dancing Plaza in 2022. Lee’s curatorial work focuses on the unheralded aspects of the local contemporary dance culture, constantly reinventing mode of gathering and creating space for knowledge production and exchange, such as residency-based dance festivals #DANCELESS complex and so on.

Graduated from Arts and Design Faculty, Bandung Institute of Technology in 2002, Keni received the Ganesha Prize Award that gave her a short module scholarship on Museology in The Amsterdam School of the Arts. Obtained her Masters of Anthropology degree in University of Padjajaran, and is currently undergoing Doctoral studies in Faculty of Cultural Studies, University of Padjajaran. Keni studied under Legong maestro Bulantrisna Djelantik and is part of Bengkel Tari Ayu Bulan.

Currently the Director of Cultural Institution and Human Resources Development in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Indonesia. He obtained his bachelor's degree in history from Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta (UNS), and continued his masters and doctoral studies in History at the University of Indonesia.

Dancer, choreographer, performance manager, performing arts seminar speaker, producer, and dance lecturer living in Surabaya, Indonesia. Her works are inspired by various social issues occuring in society, influenced by her instincts honed from delving into social activism since her teens.

Independent producer with more than two decades of experience in producing performance arts and festivals, with local and global networks. His expertise lies in creating meaningful collaborations and facilitating cultural exchanges based on equal interpersonal interactions for a sustainable impact.

Actor, theatermaker, scriptwriter, and researched with a focus on the limits of theater and performing arts, nationality, and gender issues. He created Gardanalla theater group in 1997, creating performances and building network with various communities, from indigenous communities, youth groups, sex workers, LGBT communities, vagrant children, and disabled communities.

Producer, researcher, and actress with an M.A. in Dramatic Arts from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. A key member of BIPAM and co-founder of the Thai Theatre Foundation, she supports the local theater community through research, productions, festivals, and advocacy, focusing on audience development and improving art accessibility.

Actor, producer, and researcher based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Director of Indonesia Dramatic Reading Festival (IDRF) since 2019. IDRF is the only programmed and curated playwrights festival in Indonesia since 2010. He also works as producer for Gymnastik Emporium, a collective that creates performances in public space through collaboration with the public.

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Treasurer

Finance and Office Coordinator

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Fundraising and Sponsorship Manager

If there is one story about how a dance can shape and form someone's life, that would be the story of Tom Ibnur with the zapin dance.