Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) welcomed World Dance Day by holding the annual commemoration of “UNNES Menari”, Tuesday (29/4). The event held in the UNNES Cultural Village was enlivened by two hundred dancers consisting of students, lecturers, and guest stars.
The “UNNES Menari” event has been held for the past ten years as UNNES’ way of commemorating World Dance Day.
Starting with a parade around the campus, the UNNES Menari 2025 event was held in the Cultural Village.
UNNES Menari 2025 raised the theme of the Folk Dance Performance “From Lumbung to Panggung: Folk Dance as a Trace of Civilization”.
Various Central Javanese folk dances were presented, such as the Gondorio Rembang Dance, Flashmoob Gedruk, Lengger Serayu Banyumasan Dance, Topeng Ireng Magelang Dance, Sukowati Sragen Dance, Topeng Lengger Wonosobo Dance, Idakep Temanggungan Dance, Swatantra Community Presentation, Babalu Batang Dance Lecturer Presentation, East Java Remo Dance, Samin Edan Barongan Blora Community Presentation, and Guest Star Langen Budi Setyo Utomo Presentation.
“The celebration of World Dance Day or UNNES Menari is an event for us to express ourselves and preserve traditional arts, in addition to providing experience to students in holding art performances,” said Dr. Eny Kusumastuti. M.Pd., as the Coordinator of the UNNES Dance Education study program.
The excitement of UNNES Menari 2025 attracted the attention of many people, including students who had never seen a dance performance before.
“This is my first time watching HTD at UNNES because I am only in my second semester. It turned out to be amazing, the performance just started and it attracted many visitors. Earlier, there was also a procession around the campus, so my friends and I were curious,” said Naila, an English student at FBS UNNES. “It’s really cool, next year and the next year there should be another event like this,” she said.
The enthusiasm of the audience was evident from the fullness of the Cultural Village stands when the performance began. The audience was not only students, but also many local residents who watched.
In addition to lecturers and students, a number of artists also participated in UNNES Menari. Therefore, the commemoration of World Dance Day at UNNES 2025 is not only a stage for artistic expression, but also a momentum to strengthen networks between art communities and increase awareness of the younger generation about the importance of preserving the nation’s culture.
