Women have taken to playing gamelan

Women have taken to playing gamelan

Kadek Suartaya, Contributor, Gianyar

Every Saturday night, dozens of women rush excitedly to the
bale banjar (community center) in Sukawati village, Gianyar, to
practice gamelan instruments.

As they arrived at the bale banjar, some women played tabuh
lelambatan, a classical gamelan piece, usually performed to
accompany a religious ceremony. The other women stood patiently
at the back row awaiting their turn to play the instruments.

In the neighboring villages, a large number of women were also
seen practicing gamelan instruments -- what a wonderful view!

There are currently six gamelan troupes in Sukawati, whose
members are all women. For the last two months, the troupes have
been practicing passionately to prepare for their upcoming
performances at the villages' temple anniversaries (odalan pura)
between April and May.

Usually, these women play gong kebyar, the most common gamelan
instruments owned by almost every banjar in any village in Bali.

Playing gamelan instruments is merely seen as part of their
social and religious obligations (ngayah in the Balinese
language) rather than performing for other purposes.

In the Balinese context, ngayah has stimulated the emergence
of local gamelan troops. This concept is also considered a strong
and powerful support for the continuity of Balinese performing
arts. The coming out of female gamelan troupes in Sukawati has
been motivated largely by this social and religious
consideration.

As an artist, it is really encouraging to see how Balinese
women these days are now eager to plunge into the traditional
music and performing arts world.

In the past, gamelan instruments were the domain of male
players; nowadays, performances of women gamelan groups are
common, not only at religious events but also on a variety of
occasions, including arts festivals.

Women players have already mastered all techniques and styles
previously dominated by men. If you look at how they play the
instruments, you would be mesmerized by their vigorous energy.
Since 2000, female gamelan groups mushroomed, especially when
the Denpasar mayoralty office started to organize a gamelan
contest titled Gong Kebyar Wanita.

Performance of these women gamelan players deserve a standing
ovation.

Balinese women began to take interest in learning to play
gamelan instruments when the annual Bali Arts Festival started
around 25 years ago. Since it was established, the festival
organized a gong kebyar contest for women.

The gong kebyar festival draws a lot of participating gamelan
groups from each of the island's six regencies.

From the festival, the interest of female gamelan players has
spread from one village to others. Now, it is common to view
groups of young and old women practicing gamelan instruments in
the banjar every afternoon. It is also common to watch women
performing gamelan instruments in various religious ceremonies.

Usually, women choose to play gong kebyar gamelan.

Estimated to have appear first in north Bali in l915, Gong
Kebyar is a multifunction gamelan used for both performing arts
as well as for religious art activities. The style of performance
is fast, energetic and attractive with several pauses expressed
in intricate ways. These types of musical instruments are
believed to represent the energy in Balinese society.

According to Ni Made Wiratini, a lecturer at the school of
letters at the University of Udayana in Denpasar, Balinese women
are currently active in a large variety of performing arts
including gamelan, karawitan vocal choirs, theater, puppet
mastering, and of course dance performance.
Wiratini continued to say that Balinese women have spread their
wings to every field of the performing arts. Not only dancers,
women are now acting as dance choreographers, music composers and
directors of both traditional and modern theater.

In her paper entitled Penampilan Wanita dalam Seni
Pertunjukkan Bali, (Women's Roles in Balinese Performing Arts),
this doctoral candidate at the Graduate Program of Cultural
Studies at the University of Udayana, Wiratini concluded that the
involvement of women in performing arts such as musicians
(gamelan players and music composers), choreographers and dancers
has dramatically changed the landscape of the Balinese art world.

"Art has become a male-female creative endeavor."

The once male-dominated art world has been transformed into a
genderless art domain," she argues. This, she adds, also
explained and answered ongoing questions on the role of Balinese
women outside the house.

In the past, people would look down on women who were actively
involved in any kind of art activity, "It was immoral for women
to leave their homes in order to perform before the public," she
writes.

However, in the last three decades, it is important to note
that there has been a significant democratization process within
the Balinese art world.

Balinese women are well-known as strong-willed persons,
creative and skilled artisans, Wiratini said. There are no
significant obstacles that can prevent them from performing any
art works.

However, as women, they experience biological cycles such as
menstruation, which bans them from participating in any religious
activities. Quite often, music and dance performances are
intended to observe religious events and are performed in temple
courtyards or other sacred places.

Only this situation prevents Balinese women from being able to
show off their artistic skills -- everything else is wide open.

Women's active participation in performing arts has enriched
the Balinese art world.