Prof. Sal Murgiyanto has been teaching at TNUA for 18 years, and all through these years he has been a bridge between traditional Indonesian dance and Taiwan dance.
He has also helped many fellow teachers and students understand other countries’ traditional dance cultures through various local and overseas exchange activities and performances.
Prof. Murgiyanto received training in classical Javanese dance and has performed with the famous dancer Sendratari Ramayana Prambanan and with the Sardono Dance Theatre.
Since 1974 he has been focusing on teaching choreography and organizing cultural activities. He founded the Indonesian Dance Festival in Jakarta in 1992 and since then has been a member of its artistic board. He is also a board member of the MSPI Society for the Indonesian Performing Arts and an adviser to the World Dance Alliance (WDA) Indonesia.
Prof. Murgiyanto recounted how came to Taiwan. He met Prof. Lin Hwai-min, founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theater, in New York many years ago. Lin, who was then chairperson of the Department of Dance, invited him to teach at TNUA.
He initially mainly taught Javanese dance, but later revised the courses to focus on traditional Balinese dance.
He pointed out that for Indonesians dance is not just a form of performing arts, but also a part of life. It is an expression of gratitude to the deities through the motions of the dancers. Therefore, he hopes students can understand the meaning of every dance and its cultural significance while learning the skills.
He said he will continue to act as a bridge between Taiwan and Indonesia, expanding dance exchanges between the two sides.