Rianto

Rianto is a master of classical Javanese dance, having trained from a young age with a specialisation in the cross-gender form of Lengger Banyumas from Central Java. He graduated from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in 2004 and has been based in Tokyo since 2003, where he founded the Dewandaru Dance Company, dedicated to classical Javanese dance. He also established the Rianto Dance Studio in Indonesia. He has collaborated with a wide range of international choreographers, performance-makers, and companies, while remaining committed to his own practice and the evolution of contemporary Javanese performing arts. His projects include work with Akram Khan Company, Korean choreographer Sen Hea Ha, Chen Shi Zheng’s opera productions at the Shubert Theatre (Boston) and London Coliseum with the English National Opera, Choy Ka Fai’s SoftMachine, the Japanese company Pappa TARAHUMARA, and Akiko Kitamura. His artist residencies include Staatstheater (Germany), deSingel (Antwerp), Nottle Theatre Company (Korea), the University of Melbourne’s TrakLAB, Maya Dance Theatre (Singapore), LASALLE College of the Arts (Singapore), Nara University of Education, Shangri-La Islamic Centre, and the Honolulu Museum of Art. In 2018, renowned Indonesian film director Garin Nugroho created Memories of My Body, a film inspired by Rianto’s life. Recent works include Hijrah, presented at RISING 2023 and deSingel; Jagad, presented at Arts House, Melbourne; and Medium, shown at Europalia Indonesia, REDCAT, Supersense, and Carriageworks.

Rianto is also the founder of Rumah Lengger, a foundation in Banyumas, Indonesia, dedicated to preserving and revitalising Lengger for a new generation.