A month of daily performances, handicraft exhisbitions and other related cultural and commercial activities during which the whole of Bali presents its contributions of dance, music and other artistic talents.
-Gambuh Dance-
This year there will be a difference in approach, as there will be performances in the capital cities of all of Bali's eight regencies but the main events will still be focused upon Denpasar. On display will be the traditional performances from remote mountain villages, some maybe too old to remember and some only recently revived. There will be the classical palace dances, contests for offerings and food and performances by well-known stars of Balinese stage, screen and cassette tape! New material will be on offer from both local musicians and choreographers combined with a wealth of contemporary and traditional art from outside Ball and even from outside Indonesia.
The Festival has its roots in the small communities and villages and there is considerable competition between groups to be the ones to represent their regency. This starts in the villages but moves on to larger spheres; culminating in the decision to send the best groups to perform at the Arts Festival. In doing this, the people will be showing the world the uniqueness of their own village traditions and also honouring their ancestors.
The Bali Arts Festival is undoubtedly Denpasar's cultural event of the year and probably the major cultural event of Indonesia. It is a fabulous opportunity to see Balinese village culture still thriving despite the recent adversities that have hit this island so hard.
Something that isn't often thought of is that this full month of festivities not only serves to maintain the Balinese culture and tradition but it makes all the participants very proud to be -just Balinese!
The origins of the festival date back to long before the first one took place and probably in the 1960s, when tourism started in earnest, there was a move to ensure that it should be cultural tourism (pariwisata budaya)
The Festival has its roots in the small communities and villages and there is considerable competition between groups to be the ones to represent their regency. This starts in the villages but moves on to larger spheres; culminating in the decision to send the best groups to perform at the Arts Festival. In doing this, the people will be showing the world the uniqueness of their own village traditions and also honouring their ancestors.
The Bali Arts Festival is undoubtedly Denpasar's cultural event of the year and probably the major cultural event of Indonesia. It is a fabulous opportunity to see Balinese village culture still thriving despite the recent adversities that have hit this island so hard.
Something that isn't often thought of is that this full month of festivities not only serves to maintain the Balinese culture and tradition but it makes all the participants very proud to be -just Balinese!
The origins of the festival date back to long before the first one took place and probably in the 1960s, when tourism started in earnest, there was a move to ensure that it should be cultural tourism (pariwisata budaya)
-accompanying the gambuh dance-
To quote from the website www.baliartsfestival.com : the Balinese said: "Tourism should be for Bali instead of Bali for tourism." In time, this idea became national policy, as part of a larger reviewing of regional cultures for national purposes. The policy owes much to the former Director General of Culture (1968-1978) and Governor of Ball (1978-1988), Ida Bagus Mantra, an Indian-educated Balinese. It led, on the one side, to the creation of enclave resorts such as Nusa Dua, to limit the direct impact of tourism, and on the other, to a long haul cultural policy aimed at nurturing and preserving the traditional agrarian culture while adapting it to the demands of modernity, and in particular of 'cultural tourism'.
To quote from the website www.baliartsfestival.com : the Balinese said: "Tourism should be for Bali instead of Bali for tourism." In time, this idea became national policy, as part of a larger reviewing of regional cultures for national purposes. The policy owes much to the former Director General of Culture (1968-1978) and Governor of Ball (1978-1988), Ida Bagus Mantra, an Indian-educated Balinese. It led, on the one side, to the creation of enclave resorts such as Nusa Dua, to limit the direct impact of tourism, and on the other, to a long haul cultural policy aimed at nurturing and preserving the traditional agrarian culture while adapting it to the demands of modernity, and in particular of 'cultural tourism'.
Local music groups, dances and other cultural events were then listed at village level, and later promoted by a series of contests at district and regency level. The resulting competition energised the cultural life of villages, whose young people, together with their enthusiasm, was already being transferred to the tourist areas in the search for financial advantages.
Schools of dance and art sprang up: in particular the Kokar conservatory and the STSI School of Dance and Music. In addition to research, these schools replaced the traditional master/student relationship by modern methods of teaching; standardised the dance movements, produced new types of Balinese dances for tourism and modern village entertainment. Most importantly, it enabled former students to return to the villages as teachers, where they disseminated the renewed and the new forms of dance and theatre.
Every year, the Bali Arts Festival, in addition to the classical dances of the island, such as the kecak, legong, gambuh, barong, baris, mask dances and the like, is based on a theme, around which new choreography is produced and old village dances and activities are revived. Over the years, the whole range of classical Balinese stories - Ramayana, Mahabharata, Sutasoma, Panji - have thus been turned into massive Sendratari Ballets. Many of the performances are held at the amphitheatre, which can hold up to 6,000 spectators, on a stage that looks like a temple.
One of the major challenges to the continuance of the Arts Festival is finance and this is where readers can assist. The costs involved in attending any of the performances are minimal, especially for those of you who are here on holiday, but by paying a small charge whenever it is requested or even by making donations, you will be helping to ensure that Bali will have a Arts Festival next year.
To paraphrase the website again: Village life is increasingly feeling the strains of monetary problems so dancers, musicians and others cannot be expected to continue participating simply for the pleasure of it. As costs soar, new sources of financing have to be found. The obvious answer is the private sector and, in particular, the tourism industry. The greater task then is to convince the hotels, travel agencies and tourist guides to be more participatory in the Arts Festival rather than to their own sponsored events. Considering the pride the Balinese have in their culture, and the adaptability and dynamism they have always demonstrated, this little hurdle can be overcome. If you are a hotel owner or General Manager, please think about giving some support to the Bali Arts Festival. However, trust the Balinese. They will eventually succeed in transforming their tradition into a modern, Balinese culture of their own.
-Barong Dance-
If you are visiting Ball, consider your self lucky to be here at a time when there is so much cultural and traditional material available. More informations click www.baliartsfestival.com (Source : article and photo by Garuda-Indonesia.Com magazine).
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