The Master Dancers of Bali,
featuring eight of the Indonesian island's most celebrated dancers and
musicians, will perform on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. in Union College's Yulman Theater.
Cost is $5, free to members of the Union community. For
more information, call the box office at 388-6545.
The troupe will be on campus for two days, doing a number
of lectures and demonstrations on Monday, Oct. 7, and Tuesday, Oct. 8, which
are free and open to the public. (A complete listing of workshops appears below.)
Under the direction of Mr. I Gusti Raka Pinji Tisna, the
Master Dancers of Bali capture the magic of their island
with a program of five traditional dances and selected Balinese operas, all
with gloriously colorful costumes and live traditional Balinese
music.
Master Dancers of Bali is an eight-performer troupe of some of the island's most accomplished and highly regarded dance
masters, who will perform together for the first time outside of Bali.
The performers range in age from 30 to 80, and span three generations within
the same family. Ms. Ni Ketut Cenik, 80, is the most experienced traditional
Balinese dancer performing. She made her debut at age 12 and has been awarded
the highest honors in the performing arts by the local Balinese government as
well as by the Ministry of Culture of Indonesia.
“(In the West) we require our dancers to retire when they
can no longer do the technical feats of their youth,” said Gail
George, who is organizing the group's visit at Union.
“In Bali, as elsewhere in the East, they not only value,
but revere, their older master performers. Ms. Ni Ketut Cenik is a wonder to
behold.”
Other dancers include Mr. Ida Bagus Oka Wirjana, a
70-year-old master of Kebyar Duduk; Mr. I Made Jimat, the son of Ms. Ni Ketut
Cenik, is one of the most well known and celebrated Balinese dancers and also
an accomplished musician; Mr. Ida Bagus Suteja Manuaba, who began performing at
age 10 and has won numerous awards at festivals throughout Bali; Ms. Ni Wayan
Sekarriani, the granddaughter of Ms. Ni Ketut Cenik and niece of Mr. I Made
Jimat, known for her roles as Rangga (prince) in the Balinese operatic
dance-drama of Gambuh; Ms. Ida Ayu
Diastini, a noted performer and teacher who has starred in three Indonesian
film and television productions; and Ms. Ni Wayan Latri, who specializes in the
Arja dance and is one of the few female dalangs (shadow puppet masters) in
Bali.
Musical accompaniment will be performed by Mr. I Wayan
Sedia, who specializes in the bamboo flute, drums, rindik (bamboo xylophone)
and gender (metallophone).
The dancers will give the following free workshops and
discussions:
Monday, Oct. 7
2:50 p.m.,
Yulman Theater, “Drama in Bali” with Prof. Bill Finlay's theater class;
5 p.m.,
Old Chapel, “Issues Relating to Tourism and Modernization in Bali;”
8 p.m., Old Chapel, “Dance and Drama in Bali with a Focus on
Shadow Puppets and Masks;”
Tuesday, Oct. 8
10 a.m., Arts Building Dance Studio, lecture and dance demonstration with a class led by
Union dance director Miryam Moutillet
1:35 p.m.,
Arts Building Dance Studio, lecture and demonstration of music with Prof. Hilary
Tann's class.
The program is supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, Unitas, East Asian Studies,
Performing Arts Department, Minerva Committee, Dean of Students Office, and the Anthropology Department at Union College.