The Gamelan Çudamani performance related to many of the keywords we studied in class, specifically race, gender, and identity. Watching the performance gave every audience member, myself included, a look into Balinese culture and experience. The performance included several sections, each containing multiple songs and/or dances, each of which told a different cultural story. These stories were explained by the group’s leader, and varied from religious, to agricultural, to traditional Balinese folk stories. The musicians and dancers played a part in not only the performance, but some also acted as composers or choreographers for varying pieces. Each aspect of the performance, from the musical and vocal sounds, to the movement, to the clothing worn, was an external performance of identity, which also played into the ideas of gender and race.
As a cultural performance, this is tied to the concept of race, since our understanding of the performance is partially dictated by our perception of “race.” As someone mentioned in class, the viewing experience differs greatly depending on whether or not an audience member is Balinese or has a great amount of experience with Balinese culture. This idea of artistic performance and viewing experience being influenced by racial grouping is something I found interesting. Through further self reflection, I realized this is not an experience I’ve had many times before, since most media is geared towards a white, western audience.
Additionally, gender was also part of this performance in the way gender is both constructed by and removed from how the dancers and musicians present themselves. Specifically, in the dance that featured masks, “Wayang Wong,” the dancers’ entire forms were obscured. This left very little information available to the audience to determine the gender of the masked performers, which caused me to question the role of gender in a choreographed cultural performance like this one. I also began to wonder how many performances have a purpose that doesn’t depend on or relate to gendered characterizations, and whether the idea and role of gender is more highly valued in western society. By deemphasizing and drawing attention away from gender and gender roles, this specific piece of choreography seems to make a claim about the limited importance of gender in telling specific cultural stories and the viewing experience of these types of productions.
My favorite part of the performance was the piece called “Petani – Water for life.” The large group of male performers were not only playing instruments but using their bodies as percussion and their voices to create the music. This story of water, rice farmers, and their relationship to the sacred rice fields was told with palpable joy and passion. To me, this piece seemed to be the strongest reflection of identity throughout the performance, as I felt the audience really got a sense of the performers’ true emotions and individual identities. I noticed the smiles and sense of community shared by the performers onstage, which was truly infectious. This performance, as a lens into the shared cultural identity of the Balinese performers, served as an external production of identity, made available for audience consumption.