2nd Annual Indonesian Culture Night at UCLA

Indonesian Culture Night (ICN) is an entirely student-run production that celebrates Indonesian culture and identity through various visual and performing arts such as music, dance, and theatre. We plan to incorporate elements of the Indonesian and Indonesian-American experience in the plot and dance.

We hope to address the lack of representation of Indonesian stories in the United States. Specifically, in this year’s program, we will be investigating the intersectionality of our Indonesian American identity, prejudice against women, homophobia outside and within the family space, and familial relations. 

The Indonesian-American identity is relatively new in the United States, so we hope to make ourselves more known and understood by telling our own stories at UCLA. Additionally, the Indonesian American community is fairly small, and we hope to use this opportunity to bond through our shared experiences as immigrants. Our stories are often avoided due to their traumatic nature both by family and by mass media. Thus it is that much more important to provide a space to explore our intergenerational trauma.

The 1st Annual Indonesian Culture Night Drama Team Practicing

 Our 2nd annual ICN will be held on Wednesday, May 10th, 2023. Tickets are free of charge to any who would like to attend! We plan to incorporate elements of the Indonesian and Indonesian-American experience in the plot and traditional Balinese dance. Our staff of over 50 students put in countless hours of practice and rehearsal to share this amazing story to educate and inspire our larger community on different social issues and the importance of cultural awareness. We are extremely excited and appreciative of having the opportunity to host another amazing production!

Interested to see last year's performance?

The 1st Annual Indonesian Culture Night Balinese Dance

We hope to address the lack of representation of Indonesian stories in the United States. Follow our main character, Ceci, as she navigates her queer identity while searching for the meaning of community. At our second annual ICN, we will be investigating the intersectionality of racism directed towards Indonesian Americans, prejudice against women, homophobia outside and within the family space, and familial relations along with intergenerational trauma. The Indonesian-American identity is relatively new in the United States, so we hope to make ourselves more known and understood by telling our own stories at UCLA. Additionally, the Indonesian American community is fairly small, and we hope to use this opportunity to bond through our shared experiences as immigrants. Our stories are often avoided due to their traumatic nature both by family and by mass media. Thus it is that much more important to provide a space to explore our intergenerational trauma.

Our Program Budget

 The Indonesian Culture Night is a completely free event for all UCLA students and members of the general community to attend. In total, this year’s production cost will be over $8,000, with the venue alone costing just over $6,000. To keep this event free, we are searching for support from the community to crowdfund to cover all costs of our production. Many students and community members have volunteered to put in countless hours of their time and dedicate their passions to making this production a success. Therefore, we will continue to make this a free event for all as we recognize the impotence of raising awareness of our unique identity. Any donation will help in hosting our event and keeping our tickets free. Please help share Indonesian American stories through generous donations! All donations of any size are fully tax deductible.

Our costs are continuing to rise due to inflation, pandemic recovery, and increasing venue costs, so any amount that you’re able to donate can help us fund this program! If monetary donations are not possible at this time, there are other ways you can show your support. Follow us @uclaicn to keep updated and we would appreciate it if you could spread the word across as many networks as possible. Even simply sharing the SPARK campaign link on social media or via email would be incredibly helpful!

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