Adi Merdangga, Bali's popular marching band

By Kadek Suartaya

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Clad in colorful Balinese traditional attire, male and female dancers follow rhythmical beats of a band marching behind them.

The dancers and the Bali-styled band belong to the Adi Merdangga group, which is always the highlight of the three- kilometer parade marking the annual Bali Arts Festival.

First held in 1979, the festival, usually held between June and July, is popular with both local and foreign tourists in the island. Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri attended the festival's opening last month.

The strides and beats of the unique band, set up in 1984, heads the festival's procession.

The music and dance of Adi Merdangga -- which literally means the principal drum -- is traditional Balinese.

The idea to set up the group came from Ida Bagus Mantra, then Bali's governor. He asked I Made Bandem, head of the Indonesia Arts Institute (STSI) at that time, why Bali did not have a marching band to perform in processions during special events.

Responding to the challenge, and after further observation and exploration, the idea was brought to reality with the help of the institute's artists.

The art circles and Bali's residents appreciate the existence of the band.

At the opening of the arts festival in 1984, spectators packing the roadsides were amazed to see for the first time an artistic blend of Bali's traditional music presented by the band.

Then, gamelan players and dancers were clad in bright red Balinese traditional attire and decked with golden ornaments.

During the procession, dozen of drums were played alongside other local musical instruments, producing an aesthetic harmony familiar to the Balinese community.

The group was not designed to perform traditional local music only. Instead, its repertoire includes male and female dancers performing with spears, umbrellas, fans and banners.

The band's choreography and musical composition never fail to win loud applause, especially when the dancers make a configuration and gamelan musicians play with graceful movements.

Although the establishment of Adi Merdangga was inspired by the modern marching band, the former still reflects Balinese traditions. Its music is derived from Bleganjur gamelan, a Balinese traditional music that usually accompanies local rituals with the beats of gongs of various sizes and a pair of leading drums. But Adi Merdangga uses up to 50 drums.

The group, now popularly known as the arts festival's mascot, does not only perform in Bali. It was invited to perform during Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta's Senayan stadium (now called Bung Karno Sports Complex). It also performed during the country's golden jubilee celebration in 1995.