Cristina Wistari Formaggia, 62, died peacefully of cancer in her hometown of Milano, Italy on 19 July 2008. She will always be known in Bali as the woman behind the Gambuh Preservation Project in Batuan village. Her dedication to the classical performing arts of Bali knew no bounds.

A memorial will be held for Cristina on Wednesday, 30 July 2008 from 3 – 6 p.m. at Cristina’s home behind the Ibah Hotel in Campuhan, Ubud. The Pura Desa Gambuh troupe will hold a short rehearsal in her honor. Please feel free to bring a flower or piece of fruit.

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The Royal line of Buleleng, Singaraja is descended from the Son of Dalem Sagening, the King of Gelgel, Klungkung named Ki Gusti Anglurah Pandji Sakti. Pandji Sakti, it is recorded left from Klungkung to establish a new Kingdom in Den Bukit, Buleleng, North Bali. On reaching the peak of the Mountain range, he was thirsty and so he plunged his magic kris into the ground and front that spot flowed water. Water still flows from this spring today and makes life possible at the top of the mountain range. A temple was built at this place and is called Toya or Tirta Ketipat. You will pass it by on the way to Denpasar from Singaraja via Bedugul / Lake Beratan.

Ki Gusti Anglurah Panji Sakti eventually settled in the village of Panji around 5 kms South West of Singaraja. When he had finally succeeded in uniting Den Bukit (now Buleleng, North Bali) he became the King of Den Bukit. Then he built two other Puri (palaces) namely Sukasada, 2 kms South of Singaraja. Singaraja as the third Puri built on March 30th, 1604 became the beginning of the Kingdom of Buleleng and Singaraja, the capital town of the regency of Buleleng. Singaraja was chosen by the Dutch as the easiest place to make their first incursion onto Balinese Soil. This they did by brute force in the mid 19th century (1846-1849). The palace / puri was destroyed and the family mostly deposed or annihilated at the final stand in the town of Jagaraga around 15 kms east of Singaraja.

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Early in 20^th 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 drama, Prembon is considered to be sum of all dance-drama of Bali. This new form of drama is a combination of previously separate dance and drama genres, a hybrid and composite form of Balinese dance and drama.

Prembon dance drama. Photo courtesy http://www.gsj.org/

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Of all the form of Balinese dance, the Barong and Rangda performance which involves trance possession were the most fascinating to early western residents and visitors. Followers of the Barong frequently practiced self-stabbing during a performance, to the great interest of scholars and curiosity seekers alike. In the early of 1930s, Walter Spies directed many visitors to the villages of Pagutan and Tegal Tamu in Gianyar Regency, where variants of Calonarang dance-drama were performed. Many special performances were commissioned by Walter Spies and his guest, and in Pagutan, especially, Calonarang performances become something of a local industry, three or more might be requested in a single week.

Calonarang performance on The Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006

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At the end of nineteenth century, the king of Badung had assembled a truly superior group of dancers to perform at court. Some of the artistes were of brahmana caste, while others were commoners. Ida Bagus Boda, who was to later conceive the modern choreography for the condong (lady in waiting) in Legong, was leader of the group. Since there were five dancers who were all expert performer of Topeng (mask perfoermance), Ida Bagus Boda was inspired to devise a performance in which the entire group could take a part. He called it Topeng Panca (Five-man Mask performance).

Topeng Panca performance on Bali Arts Festival 2006

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Gambuh, a classic dance drama that now is in the edge of extinction, is considered as the ancestor of all Balinese dances. All dance-technique originates in its movement, all scales and melodies from its peculiar gamelan. It is so rare that a Balinese may never see a gambuh performance throughout his life.

The origin of gambuh can be traced back to 1007 A.D. the first mention of gambuh appears in a lontar, palm leave manuscript, with a Candra Sengkala (a method of expressing time), in the year of 929 Caka or 1007 A.D. This lontar mentions that in 1007 A.D. King Udayana Warmadewa of Bali had married a Javanese princess from Daha, east Java, named Cri Gunapriya Dharmapatni. When the princess went to Bali, in her entourage she brought Javanese dancers and artist with her. According to the lontar, King Udayana was very fond of Javanese dancing and in this period developed the dance known as gambuh, here is an excerpt from the lontar:

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