I really enjoyed the Gamelan Çudamani performance. The performance was a combination of Balinese instruments and dance to tell stories revolving around topics like animals, water, nature, and the philosophy of life. The type of music, dance movements, and costumes were different from anything I have experienced before. With so many different stories, there was a wide range of intensity and emotions throughout the entire performance. I thought the performer’s use of sound and facial expressions were very powerful in sending messages to the audience. The sound levels of the music would fluctuate depending on the tone of each scene, so the dramatic moments had loud, fast-paced music, whereas the somber moments had quiet, peaceful music. Moreover, the performers artfully exaggerated their facial expressions to add more dimension to the stories, with wide eyes, furrowed brows, or huge smiles to express the emotions of the scenes.
Towards the end of the show, the woman gave a speech about how some of their young students were touring with them as a part of their apprenticeship, which was significant because their performances usually consist of only the older musicians. She expressed multiple times how proud she was of the young performers, and with the huge smile stretched across her face, you could tell her remarks were genuine. As their Balinese dance and culture is not overwhelmingly common, the woman discussed the importance of passing on their culture and traditions to their young children and students. Preserving and passing on cultural heritage keeps the integrity of a people, as a culture usually reflects and shapes values, beliefs, and identity. I think passing down culture to the next generation is a universally meaningful experience for communities beyond just the Balinese.
The Çudamani performance really emphasized the idea of community. During the body percussion part of the performance, the men were laughing and smiling at each other the whole time, suggesting that they were having fun. The performance evoked an overall feeling of togetherness and communal support. While most productions have a very strict line between audience and entertainer, this group invited the audience to join into their performance. During their final dance, they encouraged the audience to shout and clap and make noise as loud as they could. They wanted us to be a part of the performance and making music. By making it an interactive experience, the performers were sharing their culture, opening up their community and allowing us to become a part of it. I thought this was special because, as they want to pass on their culture to the next generation, they also want to share it with the people around them.
I also saw aspects of the keyword gender. There were many female dancers on stage and the one of the main performers that had multiple solo dances and speeches was female. So, I was surprised to learn after the performance that these Balinese performances are historically only performed by men. In addition to incorporating female performers, this Balinese performance was particularly progressive because some of the dances performed were choreographed by women. As women are usually not involved in the creative process, I thought their involvement brought a feminist lens to the performance because we were seeing the dances from a woman’s view, rather than a man’s.
Main women performer from the Gamelan Çudamani performance
source: https://modlin.richmond.edu/events/page.html?eventid=19261&informationid=casData,startdate:2021-09-22,enddate:2021-09-22,starttime:193000,endtime:213000