Bali Arts Festival celebrates cultural wealth

Bali Arts Festival celebrates cultural wealth

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

The Bali Arts Festival was first conceived back in the late 1970s
by then Bali governor Ida Bagus Mantra as a medium to nurture the
development of an aesthetic community in Bali. Twenty-five years
later, it has grown into one of the longest-running annual art
events in the country, a striking testimony to the island's
cultural wealth and diversity and a display of how the Balinese
persevere their devotion to the arts.

"I believe the Bali Arts Festival is the only festival of its
kind in Indonesia, or in the world for that matter, that has
managed to reach its 25th year," said Prof. Dr. I Made Bandem.

During the past quarter century, the month-long festival has
succeeded by providing a public stage for preserving numerous
rare and ancient art forms, which otherwise might have become
extinct. Moreover, it has also provided a wide opportunity for a
new generation of Balinese youth to experience and comprehend the
artistic legacy of their predecessors.

The festival's silver jubilee was opened last Saturday by
President Megawati Soekarnoputri. Some 147 troupes and 8,000
artists and performers, including from various provinces in
Indonesia and several foreign countries, will participate in the
event.

Bandem, who played a critical role in conceptualizing the
festival in its early years, proudly noted that the reason behind
the festival's longevity and success was the strong support
continuously given by the Balinese.

"In fact, this festival is the people's festival all the way,
not the government's," he said.

By sending their finest artists and art troupes to perform at
the festival, the Balinese have secured the continuation of the
festive event. An ardent believer in the age-old concept of
ngayah (devotional labor), most of the members of the Balinese
art troupe would gladly accept the festival's invitation even
though the financial rewards are small.

"The concept of ngayah can be traced back to the devotional
nature of Balinese arts in ancient times, when artists dutifully
presented arts as offerings to gods and commercialized arts was
an alien phenomenon," a cultural observer, Mas Ruscitadewi, said.

For instance, during last year's festival a small village in
Bangli sent its best troupe to perform six sacred Baris dances.
The total number of its delegation, consisting of dancers,
musicians, stage workers and village elders, reached nearly 100
people and the cost was way above the Rp 5 million allocated by
the festival committee. The village's budget might be in the red
because of the festival, but its dancers gave an excellent
performance nonetheless.

"To some extent the festival committee has exploited this
concept to generate support from the villages' artists,"
Ruscitadewi said.

This exploitation has to be stopped, Ruscitadewi added,
particularly since the festival had received a generous amount of
funding from the local administration. This year's funding has
reached Rp 2.5 billion (US$304,880).

"This huge amount of money could surely be disbursed in a more
generous manner to the villages' troupes and artists, who have
wholeheartedly supported the festival all these years," she said.

Another important thing that should be addressed by the
committee was the festival's role in helping the Balinese cope
with the alluring temptations of the modern world.

"The festival serves as a cultural raft on which the Balinese
can navigate the strong currents of globalization," Bandem said.

However, he reminded that the Balinese should not view
traditional and modern culture as two contradictory and
antagonizing entities. Instead, they should find a middle ground
to harmonize and balance these cultures.

"The continuation of our culture depends on our ability to
exercise the continuity-in-change principle, to cope and adapt
with the challenges of modernity without losing our unique and
distinctive cultural values," Bandem said.

Consequently, the festival should give wider space to
contemporary arts and also provide support to experimental
multicultural works.

The Balinese culture has been known for its ability to embrace
foreign influences without compromising its own integrity. The
colorful parade during the opening ceremony of the 25th Bali Arts
Festival provided evidence of numerous foreign influences the
Balinese culture had absorbed, from the Chinese mythical creature
of Barong, the Muslim drums and western choreography.

i-box:

The program for the 25th Bali Arts Festival:

Thursday June 19:
* The contemporary puppet show of Wayang Cenk Blonk from Belayu
village will be performed live on the Wantilan stage at 8 p.m.

Friday June 20:
* Angklung Kebyar traditional orchestra from Kedis village on the
Angsoka stage, at 10 a.m.
* The passionate Joged Bumbung dance on the Ayodya stage, at
12:30 p.m.
* Balinese pop song competition on the Ardha Chandra stage at 7
p.m.
* Puppet show from the Brahmin house in Bukit on the Wantilan
stage, at 8 p.m.

Saturday June 21:
* Cultural symposium on the Wantilan stage, at 10 a.m.
* Mask dance from the Tambahan Kelod village on the Ayodya stage,
at 12:30 p.m.
* Balinese pop song competition at 7 p.m..
* Traditional orchestra of gongs from Bantiran village on the
Wantilan stage at 8 p.m.
* East-West musical collaboration by Michael Tenzer in Nrtya
Mandala-STSI, at 8 p.m.

Sunday June 22
* Balinese food competition on the ground level of Ksirarnawa's,
at 10 a.m.
* Traditional dance show by the Suar Dwi Stri troupe, at 10 a.m.
* Traditional children's games on the Ayodya stage, at 11 a.m.
* Traveling performance of Ngelawang in the Art Center's main
yard, 12:30 p.m.
* Contemporary dance on the Angsoka stage at 8 p.m.
* Puppet show from Kuta village on the Wantilan stage at 8 p.m.
* Prembon dance drama from Budakeling village on the Ayodya stage
at 8 p.m.
* Art performance by Japanese troupe Yamashiro Gumi at Natya
Mandala at 8 p.m.

Monday June 23
* Janger dance of Semarapura on the Wantilan stage, at 10 a.m.
* Genjek (drinking song) show from Jasri village on the Angsoka
stage, at 12:30 p.m.
* Dance show by the noble house of Abianbase on the Ayodya stage,
at 8 p.m.
* The Arja opera by the famous Coblong Pamor troupe on the
Wantilan stage, at 8 p.m..
* Musical concert by the Awisada troupe on the Angsoka stage at 8
p.m.

Tuesday June 24
* The classical orchestra from the Pangkung village on the
Angsoka stage, 10 a.m.
* The Jegog Tingklik bamboo orchestra from Jimbarwana village on
the Ayodya stage, at 12:30 p.m.
* Traditional arts show from Minang, West Sumatra on the Angsoka
stage, at 8 p.m..
* Classical Gambuh dance drama, performed by the Gelogor troupe
on the Ayodya stage at 8 p.m..
* Contemporary dance by the Padneawara troupe on the Ksirarnawa
stage at 8 p.m.

Wednesday June 25
* Classical orchestra of Gong Luang will be performing on the
Wantilan stage at 10 a.m.
* Dance performance by the Krisna troupe will be on the Angsoka
stage at 12:30 p.m.
* Gong Kebyar orchestra competition on the Ardha Chandra stage,
at 8:30 p.m.

All performances will take place in the Werddhi Budaya Art
Center compound on Jl. Nusa Indah, Denpasar.