In the history of Sundanese dance, the name of Rd. Tjetje Somantri (1891-1963) and his dance choreographies, will be noted as one of the milestones in the development of the dance into its present state. Research into various dances of his creation, a total of not less than sixty different dances, shows the different breadth of interests, opportunities and experience, which befell Tjetje during his life dance. The vast number of his creations only prove, that this man was blessed with very rich artistic and creative endeavours throughout his whole life.

References, data and facts which may explain and describe his artistic journey is far from being obvious and complete. However, some individuals who learned dances from him at one time or another, quite a few notes and articles in magazines, have become sources of information , from which the stages of his development in the creative process can be followed. The form of arts adopted by him and his dance compositions created for his interests and the needs of certain performances at those times from 1911 until his last day in 1963, eventually come to light in bits and pieces put together.

The creative process of Tjetje developed in periods, since he learned dances such as tari tayub, tari topeng Cheribon, pencak silat, tari wayang and his attention to Javanese dances. Those were the days when he became an accomplished dancer and pencak instructor, which led him to become an outstanding dance teacher and choreographer in his later years. Tjetje was an open-minded person, religious, sensitive to the changes of the times, broadminded and yet deep, and easy to work with.

The outcome of his many experiences and knowledge in the richness of dance movements, and the meaning of symbolizations and characteristics in any dance, all had made him able to create intelligently and creatively his own female dances in the world of Sundanese dance, which was dominated by male dancers at that time. These female dances were understood as wanda anyar style (new form in classical dance), which were recognised in later years as semi-classical dances. The process was established in BKI (Badan Kesenian Indonesia or Indonesian Art Foundation, 1948-1958) under Tubagus Oemay Martakusuma (1892-1984) as the manager and artistic director.

If we talk about Tjetje Somantri, we can not omit the name of Tb. Oemay Martakusuma as the person behind him who might be called the creator of Sundanese female dancers today and the female dances. He was a school teacher, a principal and a painter in the Dutch colonial period, and also the head of The West Javanese Cultural Departement in Bandung. Through his ambitions for Sundanese performing dance, Tjetje was supported to become known as a great Sundanese dance choreographer. He gave Tjetje opportunities to perform his work in big events nationally and internationally.

Supported by appropriate dance costumes and artistic direction given by Tb.O. Martakusumah, through those outstanding dances which Tjetje created such as tari Kukupu (Butterfly dance), tari Sulintang, tari Topeng Koncaran and tari Renggarini, the name of Sunda in the world of traditional classical dances in Indonesia reached its prominent place in the fifties and sixties, leaving Javanese and Balinese classical dances behind. That fact was recognised by dance experts, and state officials during those times.

What made Tjetje's work to be considered the greatest of his time, it is for us to search for the answer.