The Gandrung

The Gandrung is a ritual dance that initially came into being to express devotion to the goddess of fertility and rice, Dewi Sri, in Indonesia. A beautiful, classical dance, it has evolved over time to become a sort of courtship dance that portrays a girl looking for a man. In Javanese, the word Gandrung stands for desperately in love or being infatuated. Thought to have originated in Banyuwangi in East Java, the dance is also popular in Lombok and Bali, where it is performed at social events, weddings, or to engage tourists.