Larasati takes student to a new cross-section: gender and dance

Rachmi Diyah Larasati is an Associate Professor studying Gender, Women and Sexuality at the University of Minnesota as well as a dancer for many years. Larasati grew up in Indonesia and came to US 26 years ago. In Larasati’s presentation, she introduced the intersection of genders and dance— Gandrug.

English was her fifth language, and Larasati connected her presentation to her personal experience with the language. In Indonesia, there are only non-binary pronouns in which ‘he’ and ‘she’ aren’t part of the Indonesian dictionary. Larasati further connects this non-binary system by tying it to Gandrug. Gandrug is a dance that celebrates harvests in Indonesia. The dance is a mix of various moves in which different parts of the dance each showcase various representations of human’s role on earth across multiple genders.

Freshman Patrick Wall said, “I thought the best part was when she started dancing. The differences between the masculine and the feminine dance [moves] were really interesting. The masculine ones were sharper and like more movement, [while] the feminine [moves] were slower, more delicate, and precise. It helped me view gender around the world better because I only have really a view of Minnesota.”

Through Gandrug, people will not feel limited to one specific gender. The dance spoke stronger than words. Not only was Gandrug part of the Indonesian culture, but it also emphasized on the idea that anyone can be whatever gender they want to be at any given moment in life.