Lengger lanang

Lengger lanang dance

Lengger lanang performance in Java
Native name	꧋ꦭꦺꦁꦒꦺꦂꦭꦤꦁ (Javanese) Tari Lengger lanang (Indonesian)
Genre	Folk dance
Instrument(s)	Gamelan, Gong, Calung
Inventor	Javanese
Origin	Indonesia

Lenger lanang (Javanese: ꧋ꦭꦺꦁꦒꦺꦂꦭꦤꦁ) is a traditional Javanese dance originating from Banyumas, Central Java, Indonesia. This dance has existed for hundreds of years. Lengger lanang is not just an ordinary dance but a tradition of worshiping the Goddess of Fertility (Dewi Sri) to celebrate harvests or village clean ceremonies that have been passed down from generation to generation. Lengger lanang dance is a form of cross-gender culture in Indonesia. This dance is categorized as cross-gender because the performer is a man who appears to be a woman.^[1][2]

Lengger dance is a folk art that has existed and developed for a long time in the agrarian society of Banyumas. Previously, Lengger lanang was considered to have magical-religious elements which were originally staged as a form of community gratitude in a ceremony after the harvest. Even so, the Lengger lanang dance is currently often stigmatized by society and is considered to spread LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) values in Indonesia.^[3]