A passion for Bamboo rocks Balinese valley with music

A passion for Bamboo rocks Balinese valley with music

By Amir Sidharta and Rayya Makarim

UBUD, Bali (JP): As the large bamboo of the Jegog musical band
from Negara hummed its low melodic tones, the solemn valley of
Nyuh Kuning, south of Ubud, Bali, was gradually transformed into
a festive musical haven.

Soon, the music of the Gong Saron troupe from Singapadu could
be heard from the bottom of the valley, while the Joged Gudegan
performance began at the cabana on the higher main plateau. An
entire day of enchanting music and dance from several regions in
Indonesia followed.

The first Music in Nature festival held on July 31 at Irish-
Indonesian designer Linda Garland's estate - home of the
Environmental Bamboo Foundation - was a tremendous success
despite the limited amount of time and money the organizers had
for the event.

It went beyond being a mere trial run for the Fourth
International Bamboo Congress, scheduled for June 1- 4, 1995, and
was attended by approximately 1,500 delighted visitors. The
festival has definitely created a hype about bamboo, as intended,
and has become the lead event for next year's congress.

Six stages were spread strategically over the 10 hectare
estate. In separate nooks and crannies, artists from 12 groups
performed in sequence; as one finished, another began.

The contours of the valley and the architectural elements
within the estate beautifully enhanced the visual as well as the
sound effects of each performance.

A diverse selection of musicians and dancers performed on each
of the stages. At the main open space, the Bambu Gila from Maluku
was performed. This dance, originally created for the Sultan of
Terinala, features several entranced men attempting to control
the mystical force of a large bamboo pole. Later, a group of
Madurese staged a circus like performance akin to the Kuda
Lumping.

The famous Jegog troupe and the Angklung Ogang band played on
one of the lower stages. The cabana just below the main area
provided a simple, but nonetheless, attractive stage for the
Joged Gudegan from Sebali and the Flores bamboo orchestra. On the
southern terraces, below the entrance to the estate, the Gong
Saron group from Singapadu and the Dingklik from Munduk
alternated performances.

Some other artists performed near a cliff face by the river
bordering the estate. Linda Garland's animal motifs carved on the
volcanic rock became a spirited visual backdrop that animated the
otherwise modest musical performance of the Pompang children's
orchestra from Sulawesi and the Genggong from Munduk.

Diversity

The focal point of the event was at the Western Sumatran rice
barn stage on one of the lower terraces of the estate.
Appropriately, the Gumarang Sakti dance company from Padang was
assigned to this venue.

This Minangkabau company incorporated traditional movements
with a touch of contemporary choreography. Dressed in black, the
dancers combined the elements of pencak silat which involves
crisp, sharp gestures together with the more modern motions of
contemporary dance.

The Suling Gambuh dance troupe from Batuan followed, featuring
a graceful elderly Balinese dancer. The 75 year old Ketut Cenik's
vivacious movements were further emphasized by her brightly
decorated costume. The mother of the famous mask dancer I Made
Jimat is also the matriarch of Batuan's strong dance tradition
and performed dances from the Panji story circle and a version of
the Calonarang.

Seven other women later performed the Bumbung Gembyok, a
performance inspired by the Balinese women's daily ritual of
husking rice. The dance might be considered rather monotonous by
some audiences, however, the syncopated rhythm produced by the
women has an energetic although meditative quality. Hence it
easily retained the attention of those present.

"Have you seen my tooth pick?" asked a character in the puppet
show performed from the rice barn.

Canadian puppeteer Paul Serret performed an educational show
to heighten environmental awareness and promote the use of bamboo
for such things as toothpicks. Children loved his simple
performance.

The Kuta Bamboo Musicians staged an unusual dance featuring a
live python and a woman dressed like Tarzan's Jane in Edgar Rice
Burrough's comics. The "campy" dance seemed rather inappropriate
and some members of the audience thought that it was rather
distasteful and also disrespectful to the other performers.
Perhaps the inclusion of such a dance should have been
reconsidered, even if the goal was to have an all inclusive
festival.

However, each performance was interesting in its own right.
The fact that the groups contrasted with one another was even
more fascinating. The tremendous diversity of the performers, as
well as the audience, was certainly the strong point of the
event.

Unifying

There were many elements of the festival that needed
improvement. Linda Garland realized that there needed to be a
selection process for the performers. Although the spatial
arrangement of the festival was for the most part fine, certain
performers, like the Genggong musicians, needed to be
repositioned so that they could be better heard.

Marketing, ticket sales, and other logistical concerns always
warrant improvements. Although many aspects of the festival were
prepared well beforehand, it seemed that everything only started
to emerge that morning. In all, considering that the event was
prepared in less than one month with a limited budget, it was
indeed a great success.

With a great passion and faith, Linda Garland once again
managed to pull off a great show. "It's a miracle that it
happened the way it did!" she cried.

Starting out with several different groups playing separately
in various areas on the estate, all the groups finally
congregated at the main open area. When the Gong Saron band from
Singapadu started to play its energetic music, the Joged Gudegan
group joined in with its dancer. Then the Pompang children's
orchestra began meandering between the other performers. The
simple regional music they played with their bamboo recorders
added a sweet touch to the event and fetched well deserved
applause from the audience.

The audience circled around the performers as more artists
joined in. The Genggong mouth harp orchestra from Munduk
attracted a lot of attention despite the low volume they were
able to produce. The bamboo music orchestra from Ngada, Flores,
and the group from Madura soon joined in as well.

The main open area became a place of congregation for the
various groups from different regions in Indonesia as well as
some groups from outside Indonesia. Linda was delighted with the
outcome of the event. To her it had a "feeling of the
archipelago, united together, bound by the spirit of art, music
and dance." The audience seemed even more pleased and someone
asked what the program was for the next day, hoping that the
festival was going to continue for a few more days.

The multicultural range of performers in this year's Music in
Nature festival foreshadowed the diversity expected at the
upcoming Fourth International Bamboo Congress. Next year, bamboo
experts of 86 distinct bamboo-related member organizations from
35 countries will gather together at the estate to create a
dialog (or rather a "multilog') on the expansion of the use of
bamboo as a multifunctional and environmentally friendly plant.
In the long run, it is hoped that knowledge, especially from
Japan, China and India, will be reintroduced to Indonesia where
bamboo has been neglected.

Unlike wood, bamboo is easy to grow and has tremendous
regenerative potential. Bamboo is useful in the building industry
to make flooring and plybamboo, an environmentally sound
substitute for plywood. Its long fibers are an excellent
component to increase the tensile strength in paper and the
tabashiir in its resin is a treatment for asthma.

"We have to create a demand for bamboo so that there is
once again a reason for farmers to cultivate the crop. If bamboo
is damaged, then wood will be even more threatened." Linda added.
Therefore, she plans to invite designers to develop bamboo
related fashion and is starting a project herself in Flores to
incorporate bamboo into traditional textiles, creating a truly
elegant combination.

This year's Music in Nature festival is certainly an
encouraging sign for next year's International Bamboo congress.
Another music festival is also planned in conjunction with the
congress. In addition to famous local musicians and dancers, it
is hoped that traditional performers from Africa, North and South
America, and Asia, as well as hot bands such as Sting, Peter
Gabriel and U2 will lend their support to the cause of the
Environmental Bamboo Foundation.

With such internationally renowned performers, Linda Garland
can not afford to fail and has already started to work on next
year's festival.