October 4, 2002: Volume 56, Number 4

Master dancers of Bali on campus Oct. 7, 8

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, Women's Studies, Unitas, East Asian Studies, Performing Arts Department, Minerva Committee, Dean of Students Office, and the Anthropology Department at Union College.

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