Balinese dances, dance dramas and music and all kind of arts at first in Bali are not art for art’s sake. All choreography, compositions and adances are ultimately rooted in religion. And masked dance is not an exception. Like an extravagantly supplemented canang offering, they are offered to the gods at home and temple festivals. Mask dances is also an offering to God. In addition, theatrical mask dances are used for, planting and harvest celebrations and at times of transition in the lives of individuals and communities. Mask dances, such as Topeng, also discuss politics of the past and present, and morals.

Masks may represent gods, animals, demons, or humans and can be whole masks or half masks depending on the dance they are used for. Masks can also be sacred or non-sacred depending on their purpose and preparation. Because the mystical theatre in Bali has captured the attention of so many foreigners to the land, non-sacred masks are made abundantly for sale. However, the best of the mask carvers have not abandoned their calling to create the sacred, consecrated masks when they have a “feeling” to do so.

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Annual Usaba Sambah Festival (a grand festival which is held in the fifth month of Tenganan’s traditional calendar) in Tenganan Pangrisingan village is not just offers the well-known adrenaline-rising ritual such as makare-karean (a duel using thorny pandanus leaves as weapons) but also a joyful ritual such as the “maayunan or ayunan” (swinging on ferris wheel) ritual.

The meayunan ritual is usually held annually as one of main rituals during the Usaba Sambah Festival. The Maayunan ritual is usually held on the 21st day of Usaba Sambah Festival that is usually last for 30 days. The ferris wheels that are used in this ritual are made completely of wood; these gigantic ferris wheels only erected during the Usaba Sambah Festival and after the festival is over they are dismantled and kept in the meeting hall.

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Tomorrow, Saturday (6/14/08) Bali Art Festival, a month-long festival participated by all regencies in the province of Bali and from other provinces in Indonesia and several foreign participants, like USA, Korea, Japan, Australia, will be opened with a grand opening ceremony that involve 3000 artist from all over the paradise island of Bali. This opening ceremony will be held in front of the Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat Bali (Bali People Struggle Monument, at Renon Square Denpasar. The main attractions of this opening ceremony is the parade various art performances and cultural treasures from each participants of Bali Art Festival that usually involve thousands of artists.

The Bali Art Festival 2008 will be held from June 14 until July 12 in Bali Art Center Werdhi Budaya at Jalan Nusa Indah Denpasar. The theme of Bali Art Festival 2008 as the cultural event overall is “Citta Wretti Nirodha—Self Restrain toward Balance and Harmony”.

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Maurizio Rosenberg Colorni has been searching for old Balinese photographs in museums, archives and private collections throughout Europe and Indonesia. His collection clearly reveals to us the evolution of photography in Bali. This evolution is inseparable from the development of its tool: the camera. In fact, in the wake of the 20th century, the mobility of the camera and its technical progress (celluloid’s negative replaced the glass ones) allowed photographers to capture moments of real life. Previous this era, objects or persons posed for hours in the studio.

The contribution of photography in making Bali renowned in the world was immense.

Thephotographs taken by the German Doctor Gregor Krause, published in 1920, portraying young Balinese women whose chest was customary unclothed, or the one showcased at the Paris Colonial Exhibition in 1931, considered by the Dutch Government as the most evocative image of its outpost, played a great role in the arising of tourism. These images stimulated influx of visitors and tourists seeking for the untamed, from all around the world, to Bali. In 1924, weekly cruises on Dutch ships from the major ports of Indonesia began to transport tourists to the northern shores of Bali. In 1928, the Dutch opened the Bali Hotel (now called the Inna Bali on Jl. Veteran, Denpasar), a decade later almost three flights a week landed near Denpasar.

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Yesterday, I did my regular browsing activity on the net and stumbled across an interesting article entitled “Frequently Asked Questions about Gamelan” in www.dcgamelan.com, a site owned by Gamelan Mitra Kusuma, which is founded in 1997, Gamelan Mitra Kusuma is an ensemble composed of members from many different backgrounds, who all have a common interest in learning about and performing Balinese music and dance, as well as encouraging the enjoyment, experience, and appreciation of the culture and performing arts traditions of Bali, Indonesia. At residence at World Arts Focus in Mount Rainier, Maryland, the group draws its members from all over Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. The name Mitra Kusuma means “Flowering Friendship,” which describes the warm and creative relationship cultivated by this group of musicians and dancers.
Without further ado here is the article.

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In Bali, almost everyday you can a find a ceremony or two are held, in an auspicious or lucky day thousands of ceremonies are held all over the islands. These ceremonies cannot just be prepared in a day or two, many workforces and work hours are devoted for the preparation of these ceremonies. These massive workforces and work hours are usually managed based on gender system.

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