University of Washington Scholar Earns Book Award for Study of Dance in East Java

Christina Sunardi, an associate professor of musicology at the University of Washington, received the Philip Brett Award from the American Musicological Society. She was honored for her book Stunning Males and Powerful Females: Gender and Tradition in East Javanese Dance (University of Illinois Press, 2015).

The book investigates east Javanese dance traditions where musicians and dancers portray issues of gender through performances where males embody femininity and women embody masculinity. Dr. Sunardi conducted extensive field work in east Java for the book.

Dr. Sunardi earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in music at the University of California, Berkeley. She joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 2008.