Out of many kinds of masked dances in Bali, Jauk and Telek can be categorized as the most singular one. Jauk is the male version of this genre while Telek is the female one. Jauk …

Three week program JUNE 28 – JULY 17, 2010
Application due Feb 15, 2010 or until enrollment fulfilled!
Apply Online http://www.cudamani.org

Listening to these recordings many Balinese musicians are struck by the impact of juxtaposition and re–combination as a defining feature of kebyar so early in its evolution—appropriating gendér wayang (music for shadow–puppet theater), gambang bamboo …

Sanghyang Jaran is a kind of trance dance in which the entranced dancers imitate the the movement of soldier on horseback. It is said that in Sanghyang Jaran dance, the dancers are possessed by ancestral …

Ida Bagus Surya is credited as being the leader of the Bubunan gamelan, assisted by I Nengah Dangin, an expert in kakawin literature, translation and dance. Simpen goes on to describe the Bubunan dance at …

In Bali, joyful atmosphere in a ceremony is often be built by a joged Bumbung (joged bungbung). The name joged bungbung is derived from the word joged that means “dance” – joged bungbung dancer is …

As twelve réyong are now omnipresent and taken for granted, the most common association with gamelan sekati is through the oncangan melodic figurations played by the gangsa section. Gamelan sekati is still performed in Bungkulan, …

Kebyar came into being around the turn of the century and innovations were brewing between 1910 and 1915 in North Bali’s Buléléng region, the Dutch colonial administration center. Elders in Bungkulan have said that the …

In Bali, there are in fact around thirty-five different types of gamelan which could be considered rare. Among the very rarely seen or heard is the sweet-sounding seven tone semara pagulingan, a remnant of the …

Essentially, music, or sound is untamed energy which is open to interpretation. However, through the formation of man’s culture and civilization, music has been given meaning, symbol, usage or function within the context of man’s …

In Bali, the arts have a major role in the teaching of moralistic and spiritual values. The arts are one of the three elements that guide us in reaching enlightenment. From a young age, the …

Opening Music
To begin the performance, we present a small musical composition created by adopting characteristics of the music performed on the gamelan slonding.
Scene 1
Nakula’s son Sida Paksa meditates in the forest.

The scene is accompanied by …

Almost every one of us desires holiness. It is like a lamp shining in the darkness of the night that guides our footsteps from going astray, so that we keep on the right path. Holiness …

The first traces of the story of a young woman named Sri Tanjung are found on stone reliefs at various archaeological sites around East Java which date to the Majapahit period. These are the Candi …

In facing the changes which continue to take place, we need to understand more deeply about the essence of our culture. This essence as the central idea will always influence the process of creativity which …

When we come face to face with a work of art, we often find ourselves in between tradition and modernity, two aspects which at first sight seems contrastive, although it is not so. Those who …

WELCOME
The activities of the Arti Foundation, with its creative process based on the understanding of the essence of Balinese culture, to be reinterpreted and adapted in order to influence and strengthen the tradition of Bali, …

Just days after leaving the Constitutional Court office, where I served as the court’s Justice for five years, I suddenly found myself involved in an ambiance that I had left years ago: the world of …

The celebration of Tumpek Wariga (a holyday when a blessing ceremony is given to the plants) which was held on Saturday, (2/21/09) in Puputan Square, Denpasar was quite different from the previous celebration. This time, …

My time has come,
If my blood is fragrant, it is proof that I am innocent.
These were the words of a young woman named Sri Tanjung before she was stabbed to death by her jealous …

Here is an interesting excerpt on legond dance and its recent history which is taken from a thesis entitled “Balinese Legong:Revival or Decline?” by Stephen Davies.
Legong is a genre of Balinese dance accompanied by gamelan. …

Volunteerism has been exist in Balinese society for centuries in various forms, one of them is “ngayah” The word ‘ngayah’ is hard to define, it is derived from the word ‘ayah’ means ‘voluntary work,’ and …

Here is an interesting article in relation with the social function of traditional of Balinese performing art. This interesting article is an excerpt that is taken from a paper entitled “Creating Modern Traditions in Balinese …

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 …

Balinese dance is an aspect of Balinese culture that undergoes many changes and gets many influences from various sources. These changes and influences create add a new flavor to the established genre of Balinese traditional …

I walked into the compound of the griya (Brahmin household) in the midst of much activity. Their family gods were getting new shrines and every post and pavilion was wrapped in …

On 2/10/08, the biggest mass ritual trance ritual which is known as Pengerebongan was held in Petilan temple, in Kesiman village Denpasar. Here are some snapshots from the most famous trance dance in the …

Birds are animals which inspired many choreographers to produced beautiful Balinese contemporary dances. Their energetic and sometimes elegant movements combined with their beautiful feathers are never-ending source of inspiration and imagination for Balinese choreographers to …

Animals, their behaviors and movements are the source of inspiration for many Balinese choreographers to create new Balinese contemporary dances and one of the most successful contemporary dances that depict the behavior and movement of …

“Balinese art is an indispensable part of Balinese religion, culture and life.”
“Art is identical with religion, art creativity is a performance of the religious teaching” this quotation indicates the unity of art and religion in …

It is rather difficult to trace the origin of Janger. No place in Bali admits to having been responsible for the first janger. The north Bali says it came from south, the south attributed to …

In 1915, a new genre of Balinese Gamelan was introduced in North Bali. This new composition is called Kebyar, involving a mixture of old and new melodies with new variations syncopation, so that it forms …

Pagoda-like, multi-tiered Meru is surely the pinnacle of Balinese architecture, the prima ballerina of temple courtyard. But it is not the biggest structure which is produced by the Balinese. When it comes to size, wantilan …

Cak or Kecak is a contemporary Balinese dance, a secular dance that its origin can be traced to the sacred Sanghyang dance. This dance was first created by dancers in Bedulu village, Gianyar regency, at …

The third day of Classical Dance and Drama Performance (9/29/2007) presented three classic performances – another Leko performance from Badung regency, Gandrung from Denpasar municipality, and Cakepung from Karangasem regency. These three performances were staged …

The second day of Classical Dance and Drama Performances (28/9/2007) was full to rim with various rare performances, from primitive and mystic Sanghyang Memedi trance dance to highly refined Legong Sudarsana, from grotesque and weird …

Long, long time ago Balinese dance was not as rich as today, there was no beautiful Legong, nor dramatic topeng, Balinese could only boast of trance dance such as Sanghyang Memedi or Sanghyang Dedari, no …

The history of establishment of wayang wong* began at about the beginning of 19th century. At the time, the king of Klungkung, I Dewa Agung Sakti, ordered the establishment of dance group consisting of thirty …

Early in 20th century many new forms of dance and drama were introduced as a result of the introduction of modern elements to Balinese dance and drama. Among the successful new forms of dance and …