Bagong Kussudiardja

Bagong Kussudiardja (also spelled Kussudiardjo; 9 October 1928 – 15 June 2004) was an Indonesian artist, contemporary dance choreographer and painter.^[1] Bagong’s career kicked off after Indonesia’s independence in 1945. As a dance choreographer, Bagong has choreographed more than 200 dances. Bagong perfected his skills by studying Japanese and Indian dances. In 1957 and 1958, Bagong trained under the well-known dance choreographer Martha Graham, known for her boundary-breaking techniques. Bagong then combined the modern moves with traditional Indonesian dances. After his training, he founded Pusat Latihan Tari Bagong Kussudiardja (Bagong Kussudiardja Center for Dance) in 1958, followed by Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja (Bagong Kussudiardja Center for the Arts) in 1978.