On Wednesday, 7/30/08, a memorial ceremony to commemorate the late Cristina Wistari Formaggia, 62, a great dancer and key person behind the Gambuh Preservation Project in Batuan, at her home behind the Ibah Hotel in Campuhan, Ubud. This memorial was not just attended by Cristina’s friends but also by The Pura Desa Gambuh troupe of Batuan, which present a gambuh performance to honor Cristina’s great contribution in preserving classical performance in Bali, especially in Batuan village.

The memorial ceremony was opened with speeches from family, friends, and representative Pura Desa Gambuh troupe of Batuan, but the highlight of this memorial was the performance of Pura Desa Gambuh troupe of Batuan, which came right after the speeches.

Despite of the absence of Gambuh costume, the Pura Desa Gambuh troupe of Batuan gave their best performance. They performed a short version of Gambuh accompanied by special musical ensemble for gambuh with big flutes as trademark.

The Pura Desa Gambuh troupe of Batuan enacted a classic Panji story (similar to Middle Age chivalrous and romantic stories; prince rescuing damsel in distress) with their elegant movement and excellence facial expressions.

To give shed a better light on the performance of Pura Desa Gambuh troupe of Batuan here are some snapshots of the performance.

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