Students Revive Near-Extinct Classical 'Gotong Royong' Dance at Bali Arts Festival

Denpasar (ANTARA) - The Bandha Iswari Dance Student Activity Unit (UKM) from Undiknas University, Denpasar, has performed the classical ‘Gotong Royong’ dance, a piece depicting life in a bygone era that is now on the brink of extinction, at the 48th Bali Arts Festival (PKB).

‘The Gotong Royong dance is the most unique because it tells a story of the old days and is a type of dance rarely known by the wider public,’ said Ni Putu Anggi Permatasari, Chair of the Bandha Iswari UKM at the National Education University (Undiknas) Denpasar, on Friday.

The rekasadana (dance drama) performance, titled Nitya Praba Ing Lango, highlighted the historical journey of maestro I Nyoman Kaler during his creative period in Karang Masdjati Pedungan in the 1950s.

Beyond portraying the maestro and the elders of Karangasem, this academic representative performance deliberately explored old works that have begun to fade into obscurity.

The reconstruction of this classical dance was taken as a step to educate the younger generation while introducing the rich artistic heritage of Bali that has not yet gained popularity on social media.

To deliver a polished performance, the production management involved 22 skilled dancers supported by a corps of 35 traditional musicians.

Preparations for the performance took one month, during which the artistic team faced challenges such as managing the students’ lecture schedules and coordinating intensive training sessions.

In addition to the Gotong Royong dance, the evening’s performance at the PKB also featured three other legendary works inherited from the maestro, namely the Panji Semirang dance, the Cakra Wakre dance, and the Rakyat dance.