Grup Gedebong Goyang (The Swaying Banana Tree Trunk Sisters) alias G-3
In 2003, Bali was still reeling with the after-effects of the bomb. Depression loomed large. A number of expat women decided to form a group called Grup Gedebong Goyang. A Gedebong is a banana tree trunk, usually large, white and without any shape. Goyang means to move or sway the hips. The name was funny and made people laugh and it stuck.
Rucina Ballinger, Kerry Pendergrast, Suzan Kohlik and Sue Winski started the group, rehearsing at each other’s house, researching fun and silly songs for well endowed over 40 year old women to perform. We began with a Bali Pop number, written by Dewa Majur, a model at the Women’s Modeling Group in Ubud, Bali who also happened to be a good songwriter/singer. The song consists of pantun or rhyming couplets that have no meaning and was our first song (and in Balinese!)
Our second song was a dangdut number. Dangdut is “music of the grassroots” and usually is about love, being poor and mistreated. And the singers always “goyang” their hips, gyrating their tightly clad figures and driving the lads in the audience crazy. The Gedebongs make fun of this genre (songs are in Indonesian) and HAVE fun with it!
The third song was by then rising alternative Bali rock star Lolot n Band about his relationship with his sweetheart. Donning handmade Lolot guitar Tshirts and baseball caps, the Gedebongs rocked out with this number.
In 2006, the Gedebongs added two new songs to their repertoire: SMS, a dangdut song about a woman who’s boyfriend receives text messages from an unknown source. This song became a hit when the Trio Macan/Tiger Trio sang it (what those women can do with their bodies is amazing!) so the Gedebongs wear tigerskin costumes for this one!
We also decided to pay homage to the Balinese Reggae scene (Reggae sung in Balinese) and chose Joni Agung’s song MELALUNG (Naked). This was at the time the new anti pornography law was about to go into effect and we made our own statement about what we thought about that! Wearing coconut shell bras and dreadlocks made out of stove piping, we prance about on stage being Rastawomen.
The Band Satya Hati, consisting of Kadek Balon (keyboard), Putu Bona (Guitar), Detra (bass), Gung Tra (drums) and Komang (second keyboard) accompanied the group in the beginning. Belonging to Bali Hati Foundation, they carry an anti – drug message to the youth of Bali and don’t mind hanging out with “the grannies”.
In 2006, Antonella De Santis replaced Sue Winski in the group and now G-3 is made up of all Indonesian citizens (naturalized) who are married to Indonesians and all of us have children.
We intersperse silly skits in between all the songs such as
1. Introducing the Gedebongs: Suzan and Rucina do a repartee discussing what gedebongs are and their many uses. Here we also comment on how the Balinese are spending too much money buying imported fruit for their offerings—we can all use local fruits and import our gedebongs!
2. Rotten Banana News: a TV news show in Indonesian (everything else is in Balinese) about the latest topics to hit the island, including bird flu, corruption, overdevelopment (golf courses) and whatever happens to be the flavor of the month!
3. Gedebong Idol: based on Indonesian Idol, the four gedebongs are both judge and contestants at the same time singing rap, rock and Balinese pop with judges consisting of a tourist with a camera, a sleeping grandma, a whip carrying, chili eating mean old thang and a sweet docile woman with a pet dog.
4. Balinese Dance Class: three of the gedebongs take a dance class from the 4th gedebong but escape as it’s too hard.
5. Bakso Krama Bule: Bakso or meatballs is standard street fare. The Balinese after the bomb, started a movement called Ajeg Bali (Bali Erect, Bali First, or Bali first and foremost and bugger everyone else) and began the Krama Bali Cooperative (Bali Family). One of the first businesses they started with the Bakso Krama Bali franchises which were pork meatballs (the original bakso are made from chicken and sold mainly by Muslims). The Gedebongs decided to have their own Bakso Krama Bule (a bule is an albino/gringa/foreigner) made out of spaghetti, yoghurt, bread and cheese. One of the Gedebongs teaches the others how to make it by miming chopping up the ingredients which turns into a rhythm fest and eventually a mini Kecak concert.
6. Women in Politics. Three different parties (including the Sexy Grandma Party, the Hot Air Party and Absent Minded Women’s Party) vie to be the next president and present their rather shallow platforms.
The Gedebongs perform at festivals, on local TV, for local exhibitions and just about anywhere where a good crowd gathers. We are not professionals, just a group of women who have lived in Bali a long, long time and want to make people laugh.
For more information, contact rucina @ indo.net.id
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October 27th, 2007 23:49
Ada ada aja…
Tapi idenya boleh juga tuch….
Teruslah berkarya dalam seni..maju terus Grup Gedebong Goyang.