Ekalaya Performing Arts Center (Griya Seni Ekalaya)

Ekalaya is a performing arts center in Solo, Central Java that focuses on educational programs for foreigners. Participants in our programs come to Ekalaya and study traditional, classical Javanese gamelan, dance or wayang kulit, as well as language (Javanese, Indonesian, Javanese script) or anything else by request like batik, martial arts (pencak silat), meditation, or traditional cooking. We welcome every type of student from absolute beginners to advanced students with decades of experience, wishing to focus on something specific. We take students from 8 to 80, for sessions ranging from one half-day to week-long, month-long or year-long. You can tell us exactly what you want and we bring in the appropriate teachers from the Solonese community, or you can ask us to use our judgement to craft a program for you based on your background. Master musician and teacher, Bapak Wakidi Dwidjomartono directs and inspires our staff of 20, who are considered some of the best performers and teachers in Solo. Students wishing to study gamelan can study any instrument, play with a group, and learn more about tuning/modes, density structures, and form. Students interested in wayang kulit can study movement techniques, the story repertory, characterization, scene structures as well as the history, theory, and newest trends in wayang kulit. Our dance teachers are from the Mangkunegaran Palace and ISI Solo and teach a variety of styles. Dr. Kathryn "Kitsie" Emerson, who has studied and performed in Java since 1991 and taught at Jakarta Intercultural School for 24 years, handles curriculum design, scheduling, the teaching of students under 16, and some of the theory and history of wayang lectures. Ekalaya coordinates "after dark" excursions for participants to observe and learn from gamelan, wayang, and dance events all over town, in order to make meaningful connections to their daytime studies. We have two guest rooms for rent, complete with private bathrooms, laundry service, free Wifi, and a shared kitchenette, and are open 24 hours for students to practice. *Please note that our website is currently under renovation, so much of the information is about a year old. You can get an idea of the kinds of programs we have offered in the past though, and contact us directly for any enquiries. The renovated website should be up and running by July 2026!