As part of the festival's knowledge-sharing platform, invited foreign groups will each conduct a two-hour workshop on Saturday and Sunday at the Esplanade Annexe Studio.

These sessions feature live demonstrations, artistic reflection and cross-regional exchange, with a particular focus on the special dance pieces presented on the Muara Festival main stage. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the choreographic processes, cultural contexts and movement vocabularies that shape each group's artistic practice.

The workshop introduces the grace of Yogyakarta’s classical dance through Tari Nawung Sekar. Inspired by the beauty of a flower in bloom, this dance captures the elegance and youthful charm of a young girl through delicate movements and expressive gestures.

Participants will explore the refinement of Javanese dance and learn distinctive Yogyakarta-style movements, including sembahan, kengser, trisik and kicat. They will discover how these movements come together to bring the character and beauty of Tari Nawung Sekar to life.

Participants will: 

• Learn distinctive movements of Yogyakarta-style classical dance. 
• Practise sembahan, kengser, trisik and kicat. 
• Explore the gentle movement qualities and graceful expression of Tari Nawung Sekar. 

Muara Festival is presented by Era Dance Theatre in collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay as part of Esplanade’s Pentas series.