UC Students Introduce Ludruk to Gen Z

January 8, 2025

Partnering with The Luntas Group, The Luntas performed at the Ludruk Goes to Campus event at the UC Auditorium yesterday (January 7).

SURABAYA – Five visual communication design (VCD) students from Ciputra University (UC) held a ludruk performance yesterday (January 7). The event, titled Ludruk Goes to Campus, aimed to introduce Gen Z to this traditional East Javanese art form.

The head of the ludruk performance group, Michelle, said the idea arose from concerns about the current state of ludruk. The art form is rarely performed and enjoyed by Gen Z. “Youth entertainment has been largely replaced by modern and digital entertainment,” she said yesterday (January 7).

With this concern in mind, Michelle and her colleagues searched for an active ludruk community in Surabaya that had a mission to reach young people. They ultimately partnered with The Luntas. “During preparations, we identified a problem facing The Luntas. It turned out to be a lack of social media utilisation to reach young people, especially Gen Z,” she explained.

Michelle and her colleagues used the results of this evaluation to design and conceptualise the ludruk performance. The ludruk storyline was modified to appeal to young people. “The audience understood the use of Suroboyoan language during the performance,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Alexandra Ruth, a lecturer in Commercial & Service Design at UC, stated that the ludruk performance was a form of community service. She gave students the freedom to choose the topics they wanted to address. “What’s clear is that they can contribute socially through the designs and concepts they offer,” she said. (ama/aph)