Balinese Dance, Drama & Music. I Wayan Dibia
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to observe.
Said to be the incarnation of the late Ketut Madra of Sukawati, I Made Gede Panji Prameswara, Madra's grandson, manipulates the shadow puppets of the Wayang Kulit with ease.
A Part of Daily Life
The integration of the arts into Balinese daily life is one of the great beauties of this culture. Children begin learning at an early age. They hear the gamelan music while still in the womb, and as babies, held in a family member's lap, they are encouraged to dance with their hands before they can walk. The arts are not something locked away in a studio to be brought out for public viewing only when finished. On the contrary, rehearsals are held at the bale banjar for all to see, comment on and criticize. Women set up small food stalls and sell their goods to the audience and passersby. Mistakes provoke laughter, yet this is all part of the learning process. Young dancers cannot be embarrassed by a crowd's watchful eyes. If they make an error, they will be corrected in public during a rehearsal, and receive critical comments from family members, neighbors and onlookers. This toughens them for performance.
Children begin formal study at around seven years old, although some might start earlier. They find themselves performing before an audience even before they have perfected their musical or dancing abilities. This is intentional and teaches them humility. Moreover, the purpose of the performance is not perfection but an offering to their ancestral deities and gods and goddesses. The intention and feeling with which it is performed is most important. School recitals and other performances in the community give students a chance "to show their stuff" and gain confidence.
A child born into an artistic family begins to learn at home by simple observation and imitation, then by more formal lessons with one of the family members. Children go along to performances with relatives to help them dress, make up and prepare for the show. In this way, they learn not only about movement, but about the whole context of dance, theater and music. A village can be famous for a particular art form, such as Gambuh, Arja or Legong, and the teachers there are sought out by other performers.
Manipulation of the limbs is one of the keys to absorbing the style of the teacher. Left to right: I Ketut Maria (Mario), one of Bali's best known choreographers and dancers in the 1920s, teaching Kebyar Duduk. The suppleness of his limbs extends to that of his pupil; I Nyoman Kakul teaching his young grandson Ketut Wirtawan the Baris dance, 1974.1 Made Jimat teaching a young girl in the 1990s.
Sekaa or Clubs
In many villages, there are numerous gamelan or music and dance clubs (sekaa). These groups usually consist of about fifty members who all voluntarily support the activities of the gamelan club. There are many types of sekaa but the groups described here are specifically for gamelan or music and dance. Within the sekaa are musicians, dancers, managers, costumers and drivers. They are paid for their services; most of the money goes into a communal kitty, and the rest is divided up among the members. There is fierce pride within the sekaa as well as friendly competition among rival groups. A performer also may perform independently of the sekaa. Dancers and actors who belong to different sekaa may be asked to perform together on occasion for dance-dramas such as Arja, Topeng and Drama Gong. This one-time ensemble is called a bon group. Therefore, a sponsor can hand-pick the group of actors and dancers.
There are social organizations that promote artistic endeavors. The banjar or local hamlet often owns a gamelan orchestra that can be played at any time, a fact that children may take advantage of. If they have a sekaa, weekly rehearsals are set and all members are obliged to attend. There are usually performances at local village functions, such as at temple festivals, where the sekaa will show off its latest pieces.
Aside from the traditional sekaa, there are now sanggar or dance and music studios. These first started to sprout up in the city of Denpasar due to the demand at the time for dance lessons. The onset of tourism provided further opportunities for performing and teachers became in great demand. There are usually one or two well-known teachers in the sanggar and dancers study specific dances in order of difficulty. At the end of each level, a certificate is awarded along with a public performance. If you can get to one of these "graduation" ceremonies, it is great fun as the entire family usually shows up to cheer on their progeny. The students perform in full costume and make-up, oftentimes with a full gamelan orchestra, sometimes to a cassette tape.
A Typical Dance Class
Traditionally, dance is learned without mirrors. The child first mimics the form of the teacher. Once she has memorized the basic movement patterns, her teacher then moves behind and manipulates her limbs, at times making total body contact. In this way, the body feels what it is supposed to do and how it should place itself without needing to look in a mirror. Teachers today are much less strict than thirty years ago when the rule was to pound (sometimes literally with a stick!) the dance into the pupil. If that happened today, there would be few students in dance classes.
Ni Ketut Arini Alit teaching at home. Without mirrors to guide them, the students must move exactly as the teacher does.
Ni Ketut Arini Alit manipulates the arms of her pupil, at the same time kicking her feet into the correct position.
"Men" Sena of Tista teaching Legong. Fine adjustments for arm placements let the student know how to move properly.
Physical Learning
The Balinese way of teaching is unique. A beginning dance student stands behind the teacher and mimics the movements. The teacher sings the melody of the gamelan, gives drum and gong cues as well as calls out the names of steps and basic instructions. "Get that elbow up!" "Bring your body closer to the ground." Once the basic choreography is learned, the teacher moves behind to mold the student's body. This enables the student to feel exactly where the wrist and elbow should be placed and how the back is aligned. Traditionally, mirrors were not used so the student had to rely on this kinesthetic transference of energy to know how to move. The teacher kicks the students' feet up and jerks their heads from one side to another. It is a very physical way of learning.
The method of teaching music is quite similar. At first, teacher and student sit facing one another, each with his or her own instrument. The teacher plays "backwards" while the student mirrors the hand motions. At times the teacher kneels behind the student and actually moves the hands to the correct position on the instrument. It is possible to know who a performer studied with simply by their style, as traditionally a student learns from only one teacher. There are particular teachers so well-known for the "results" that they draw out of their students that people come from great distances to study with them. Prior to Indonesia's independence in 1945, it was common for teachers to travel to another village and live for months at a time to teach the locals there music, dance, singing or puppetry.
Ni Ketut Arini Alit teaching dance on the television program "Bina Tari" in 1980. Beginning in the late 1970s, "how to learn dance" shows began cropping up on local TV stations. This has had an impact on the standardization of dance throughout the island.
Sanghyang dancers being blessed before performing to ensure that trance will occur. Dancers who perform for religious rituals will, at the very least, be blessed with holy water at the performance site. Alternatively, they will pray at the local temple.
Formal