Bagong Kussudiardja was an Indonesian artist, contemporary dance choreographer and painter. Bagong’s career kicked off after Indonesia’s independence in 1945. As a dance choreographer, Bagong has choreographed more than 200 dances. Bagong perfected his skills by studying Japanese and Indian dances. In 1957 and 1958, Bagong trained under the well-known dance choreographer Martha Graham, known for her boundary-breaking techniques. Bagong then combined the modern moves with traditional Indonesian dances. After his training, he founded Pusat Latihan Tari Bagong Kussudiardja in 1958, followed by Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja in 1978.
Dance choreographer
Bagong started his career as a classical Javanese dancer in Yogyakarta in 1954. He received his training in the Kredo Bekso Wiromo classical Javanese dance training center. Kredo Bekso Wiromo was established in 1918 by Gusti Pangeran Hario Tejokusumo. From mid-1957 to 1958, Bagong trained under Martha Graham, a well-known dance choreographed whose technique was still widely used in contemporary dances around the world. This particular training was a Rockefeller Foundation funded study. After his return, Bagong founded the Dance Training Center Bagong Kussudiardja on March 5, 1958. Much later, Bagong founded the Bagong Kussudiardja Center for the Arts on October 2, 1978. In December 1984, Bagong embarked on a five-month trip to seven European countries. Together with 14 dancers, he held dance performances, seminars, workshops, batik exhibitions, and batik painting demonstrations. On the National Awakening Day in Jakarta, May 20, 1985, he performed the Indonesian Historical Track Parade, supported by 710 dancers and extras. A month later, Bagong and 100 dancers performed on the coast of Parangtritis, south of Yogyakarta. His dance performance was entitled Kita Perlu Berpaling ke Alam dan Bersujud pada-Nya. The following month he performed the Gema Nusantara, Igel-igelan, and Ratu Kidul dance in Malaysia together with 15 dancers. On 5 October 1985 in Jakarta, he performed the Pawai Lintasan Sejarah ABRI, a dance performance inspired from wayang beber, involving 8,000 artists, military personnel, veterans, and hansips. In 1985, Bagong received an honor from the Pope Paul VI award for his fragment Perjalanan Yesus Kristus''.
Dances
Over the course of his life, Bagong choreographed more than 200 dances; among them were tari layang-layang, tari satria tangguh, Kebangkitan dan Kelahiran Isa Almasih, and Bedaya Gendeng. He made performances and films for Christmas, the Crucifixion, and the Ascension.
Other careers
Bagong introduced the art of contemporary batik painting. In 1980, his paintings were exhibited in Dacca, Bangladesh and he received a gold medal from the Bangladeshi government. Bagong was also an actor and starred on a couple of Indonesian movies e.g. Kugapai Cintamu.
Family
Bagong was born to a Christian family. He is the son of RB Tjondro Sentono, a wayang painter and a Javanese script scribe, and Siti Aminah. Bagong is the second child of four siblings, the eldest being Kus Sumarbirah, the younger Handung Kussudyarsana, and the youngest Lilut Kussudyarto. He lives in poverty, so he had to do various jobs to support himself and his family, such as working for a workshop and becoming a coach for a horse-drawn cart. Bagong is a father of two veteran Indonesian actors Butet Kertaradjasa and Djaduk Ferianto.
Popular culture
The 89th birthday of Bagong Kussudiardja was celebrated by Google Indonesia with a doodle.
