Otniel Tasman is a young choreographer and dance performer from Central Java, Indonesia. For well over a decade now, they have been performing the local tradition of Banyumas Lengger Dance. It is a dance ritual where male dancers would cross-dress and embody the Indigenous female deity of fertility, spirituality and cosmology. Because of this, the Banyumas Lengger dance has often been categorized as a “queer performance” by Western academics. However, Tasman firmly resists the categorization.
Instead, they would like to share native beliefs of gender that are distinct from contemporary gender identities. This point of view sees gender expression as something that is not only about human beings but also a product of cosmological happenings. Gender expression is a tool to help human beings connect with the universe, to seek higher wisdom from deities and ancestors. For Tasman, the Banyumas Lengger is therefore a way to deconstruct contemporary ideologies, to challenge gender norms and explore bodily autonomy and bodily justice. This is why their practice is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities.
One of their seminal pieces, Penantian Dariah (Dariah’s Waiting), tells the story of a Lengger dancer named Dariah who waits for their significant other, someone who might eventually make them feel whole. Dariah’s waiting ends in a way that they had least expected, creating a compelling story of human life for audiences. This particular piece helps to humanize the identity of Lengger dancers for the public. It shares that, like most people, gender non-conforming people also long for love.
Their piece from 2023, Exit 😂, demonstrates Tasman going beyond the traditional practice of Lengger and creating their own contemporary dance choreography that still embodies elements of Lengger philosophy. Exit 😂 is Tasman’s reflection on a life lived in the public eye, as told from the perspective of the photographer, the photo curator and the photo manipulator. Through the segments, audiences are presented with a partial view of Tasman as a human being, seen through the eyes of the different image makers. Only at the end of the performance does Tasman stand in front of audiences, giving them an understanding that the various points of view they have of Tasman are simultaneously real and an illusion.
The piece is enriched by a sound installation by Mahamboro and visual mapping by Naufal Alauddin. It is Tasman’s way of showing that their artistic vision can evolve away from Lengger, while still embodying it, using it to explore facets of their daily life that further connect gender non-conforming people with society at large.
Find out more about Contemporary Banyuwangi Lengger Dance by Otniel Tasman and their other initiatives by checking their Instagram on @oniltasman.