The Cudamani Gamelan and Dance of Bali was a performance unlike anything I have ever experienced, and it allowed me to encounter a completely different culture. This performance combined elements of dance with music which allowed the audience to experience multiple mediums of their culture. The start of the performance consisted of a musical number which was played on instruments that I was unfamiliar with, so I was fascinated to listen to these new and unique sounds. After this musical number came the dance performances which were filled with bright colors, costumes, music, and storytelling. Each dance had a theme to it such as nature or water.

Some of the dances could be seen through the keyword lens of gender because of the feminist approaches they were presenting. A woman who was a member of the group was the one who introduced the dances, and she was also featured in several of the dances as well as contributed to the music. Since it is common that most of these dances in Bali tend to be strictly male, it was progressive that they included women in their performance. I think this exemplified keeping cultural tradition while also evolving to create an environment of inclusivity and equality.

The performers included several aspects to add emotion and drama to the experience. One thing that especially stuck out to me was their facial expressions and how they always kept their eyes so wide. I thought this added drama and a sense of alertness to the dances. I also noticed how throughout the performance the musicians looked so happy and entertained by the music they were playing and the dancing. I personally took this as a sign of their love and pride for their culture. Just by putting on those smiles and embodying a lively persona, it brings life to the performance and a love for their culture.

I am so glad that attending this performance was an assignment for class. Not only did I enjoy learning in a different setting and environment, but it was a way to take in culture in a hands-on setting. I think that this experience embodies a lot of what our Media, Culture, and Identity class is all about. To encompass all these ideas in one thought, this performance was a form of media that embodied the Balinese culture and shared the identity of the Balinese dancers and musicians. We so often read and watch videos about culture and identity but going to this live performance allowed one to be immersed into the culture and experience it first-hand.

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

ÇUDAMANI PERFORMANCE

This performance was more of a summarized and introductory act rather than the full 3 part series that is usually presented in Balinese culture. I attended an only male ensemble performance which  is not a common sight in recent times given the cultural shift that has allowed women to be taught and be a part of this sacred performance. The performance is a combination of multiple dances and instrumental music that is blended together into an eye-catching  spectacle which also represents a very unique cultural experience from the Balinese culture. All the members of the ensemble began by performing a very interesting piece which involved striking all the musical instruments at the same time causing a disturbing noise which later transitioned into an amazing piece as though they magically but slowly seemed to read each other’s minds and telepathically connect to form an amazing rhythm. They later on performed multiple group and individual dances to conclude the event. This performance directly relates to our class because it has elements of identity and culture from a specific group of people. (Bali in Indonesian)

A very obvious theme among the ones we discussed in class was the one of identity. Through performance and expression,  all the individual dancers and composers approached the stage and expressed their pieces in a very personal manner, the reason being that they spend a great portion of their lives mastering the artistry which later becomes a part of their identity as they intend to perform the pieces over and over again throughout their lives. 

 I seemed to notice that engaging the crowd is a very important  part of the performance. The pauses in between the performances allowed one of the translators to explain the significance of each move and it’s meaning or how it is taught back in Bali. These small pauses also allowed the crowd to appreciate and take notes of  what had just been presented as they awaited and prepared for the next segment of the performance to occur. This was a very crucial segment in terms of Identity performance  because the audience is not only given the opportunity to experience the visual identity expression but also given a much deeper understanding of what they have just witnessed.

Although I attended an only male ensemble performance, the male dancers decided to divide and mimic what the female dancers would have done if they had been present at the event. This was a clear representation of the gender aspect of the performance. I really liked how they specifically  explained through the translator that the true modern Çudamani performance is not complete  without the feminine touch blending with the masculine one  for the true experience , and clear representation of real Balinese culture. Even the musical instruments were divided into gender, for example the so-called male drum was said to have a higher sound effect unlike the female one but it was crucial to play them at the same time in order to produce a beautiful melody. 

The Gamelan Çudamani dance performance was something that I have truly never experienced before. This performance gave me an idea of the values, traditions, and beliefs in Balinese culture. The show was introduced by a male only instrumental scene. Then, male and female performers dressed head to toe in colorful traditional Balinese outfits. Women danced around the stage while the men played loud instruments. The music and dancing were in sync, so that every beat played was a shift in the dancer’s position. Their facial expressions were powerful and exaggerated and their eyes would open so wide that it looked as if they were being possessed by the music. Each song the musicians played held a different emotion, allowing the dancers to imitate that emotion through their facial expressions. The dance moves were unlike any American or European dancing I have seen because their bodies had the ability to bend a very specific way. The dancers’ feet curved dramatically and two of their fingers would pulse as if there was wind blowing through their bodies. Their fingering and body movements were stylized. It was clear that any ordinary person would not have been able to attempt their form of dancing without failing miserably. Due to the music, dancing, and look, it is clear that this performance illustrated identity and gender.  

When we were first assigned to attend a theatre performance I was very confused. This class is based on media representations, and a performance is not necessarily media. However, after watching the Gamelan Çudamani dance performance I was able to understand that although this does not fit into the elementary definition of “media”, the performers were able to communicate their identity and culture with the audience, allowing this performance to be considered a form of media. By wearing vibrant outfits that covered almost every inch of their body showed their culture through self presentation. Myria Georgiou points out, in her piece “Identity”, that one of the ways people can show their identity is through how they present themselves. She explains how it is important to perform identity and find ways to locate self in the world. The performers all danced alike, moving their bodies in a very specific way. Each song and dance scene represented a different Balinese cultural belief. For instance, the bridge performance was connected to the ocean. In another performance the dancers wore traditional Balinese masks. Gender norms were also displayed throughout the performance. Most of the men would play instruments while the women danced. It was not until later in the performance that the men started to dance and the women started to play. Their outfits were also somewhat different. Since the women wore more striking and colorful outfits, one could presume that females must appear a certain way in Balinese culture. The main connection between the two genders portrayed in this performance was the music. Although their physical appearances were different, the music formed a bond between the males and females. Since the music and dancing were connected it allowed the performers to be connected through movements and sounds.  

This performance shared a lot about Balinese culture norms, values, and traditions. Overall, I can conclude that I was able to view the power behind this performance due to my knowledge of the keywords identity and gender.

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.

The Gamelean Çudamani performance was a small taste of Balinese culture’s dance and music. The performance began with the drummers on stage performing various metal instruments similar to xylophones, continuing into the dancers joining. As each dance set took the stage, the audience was informed about the story behind the dance making it easier for the audience to interpret the pieces properly. The first piece shown was about a boar escaping and ruining the goddess’s majestic garden. The goddess grows annoyed with the boar and decides to kill it, filling the garden with blood. In the end, everyone is upset and loses. Following the first dance, the ensemble comes and performs a piece by a young composer in the group. Following each performance, the ensemble plays a piece composed by a group member. Following this piece is an intermission. Anticipating more pieces, the audience was not disappointed. Beginning the second half of the performance strong, the group began with an ensemble performance. They continued with a piece about deer monkeys and lion monkeys where they were trying to build a bridge across the ocean to rescue their friend. However, they continued to build the bridge very weakly and the bridge kept collapsing. The goddess of the ocean comes and tells them they are building it poorly while making storms because she was upset with the monkey animals. In the end, they rescue their friend and continue with their lives. The ensemble piece following the dance was about workers in the rice field, where bad thoughts are prohibited, and they would help each other while also having fun. Finally, they closed with a piece performed by the ensemble where one dancer came onto the stage and the audience clapped and shouted to feed the energy on the stage for the performers. Throughout the performance, the ideas of identity, gender, and new media is revealed and is extremely evident by the way the dancers move and the stories that were selected to be performed. 

It is apparent that the idea of identity, gender, and new media were scattered throughout the performance to enhance and engage the audience. The idea of identity was shown through all the choices of the music being played and the stories chosen to explain through dancing. These small pieces of Balinese dance and music sheds light into their culture. They continued to share this culture and identity by allowing the audience to shout and cheer for the performers during the final dance, bringing the audience from passive viewers into active participants of the performance, truly engulfing them into the Balinese culture. Another aspect of the identity ideology is that the performers chose specific clothing and outfits to enhance the cultural performance. These costumes were chosen for each dance for a reason from the meaning of the color to the meaning of the way they move their fan or their head, this all plays a role in the identity of the Gamelean Çudamani performance. The idea of gender is also very prevalent as the performers informed the audience that all the dances were choreographed by a female dancer in the group for herself, her cousins, and her sister. This gave the female dancers the choice to move their bodies in a way they want to, not in a way a male would want to see it performed. This brought a feminist approach to the dances, a softer and simpler approach with subtle head and feet movements while being able to convey the story and its meaning. In addition to the identity and gender ideology within the Gamelean Çudamani performance, the idea of new media is explained as they are using backgrounds for the first time. They were experimenting with painted backgrounds being projected onto a screen behind the dancers to enhance the performance. This digital content shows that new media is beneficial not only for communication, but to reveal the meanings behind dances, songs, and any nonverbal action. 

The overall performance related to the class through the keywords discussed, taking a deeper look into the culture of the Gamelean Çudamani group through the lens of identity, gender, and new media.