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
The Surprises of Surprise Re-entry is interesting. And by interesting, I mean full of surprises. Surprise is also, itself, interesting. And therefore surprise is...surprising. I'm not just playing circular word games. Surprise, like accidents, cannot ever be fully predicted. For example, when thinking about my reactions to coming back to the US after studying abroad, … Continue reading Things to Remember
Mask Progress I write this blog from the airport as I wait for my flight to Portland to board. I wanted to catch you all up on the masks I've been making in Bali. In my last post, you saw the old man bondres I completed. My teacher pushed me to start two more, so … Continue reading Whittle by whittle
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