Retno Maruti

Born in Solo in 1947, Retno Maruti is a choreographer known for her active creative work through the dance studio she founded with her husband, the artist Sentot Sudiharto. Over the course of five decades, her classical Javanese dance studio, Padnecwara, has produced more than 15 works—often addressing gender issues found in classic *wayang* (shadow puppetry) narratives—and has consistently nurtured generations of performing arts professionals skilled in onstage performance and behind-the-scenes production. Today, the Jakarta-based studio has a membership of 150 people.

Maruti, who studied the arts under various masters within the Surakarta Palace (Keraton) circle, has also taught at the Faculty of Performing Arts at the Jakarta Institute of the Arts (IKJ, 1972–2023), served as a member of the Jakarta Arts Council (2003–2006), and participated in numerous global cultural missions.