I've been back a month now! And I haven't been dancing nearly enough. Here are some moments that take me back. Topeng After a few weeks of study, we started wearing a mask and the basic parts of the costume in class. Both really change the way you move. The costume frames the mask—which is … Continue reading Dancing (and chanting) the night away
Bali 2014 Photos As promised, more photos! Click on the link above to see all the photos in the blog and many, many more. It is such a pleasure to share them with you, and to give a little visual context for all I've been writing about. This trip was done through a program of … Continue reading Bali 2014 Photos
Photos from the Setia Darma House of Masks & Puppets Here are my photos from our visit to the mask and puppet museum near the village of Mas in Bali. There are many masks from major Balinese performance traditions of Calonarang, Topeng, and Wayang Wong included. There were also masks from other Indonesian isles and … Continue reading Photos from the Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets
We wait for maybe four and half hours, just outside a new house that will have a blessing ceremony, before any sign of the activities. Our dance teacher, Gustu, is to perform a topeng at the ceremony. Initially he thought it would be in the morning, then received word that it would be closer to … Continue reading A Topeng dance