Centro Maschere e Strutture Gestuali Earlier this summer, I posted about my study with the Sartori in Abano Terme, a small city of 19,000 near the larger city of Padova. Here are a few photos of the rest of that work! From our initial designs on paper, we sculpted our masks in clay. Then … Continue reading An Italian Summer(y)
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
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
This trip was made possible in part by Professional Development grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council.
Friday Night Calonarang Late Friday night at 10:30 pm, we drove to a pura dalem (temple of the dead) in a nearby village to witness a Calonarang ritual. After mistakenly landing at what seemed to be a carnival, then finding a Calonarang, but at the wrong temple, we arrived and settled in to watch. It … Continue reading A Weekend Outing
Most days I wake naturally about 6:30 am (2:30 pm the previous day Pacific Standard Time). The sound of roosters is frequent, regardless of the time of day. Roosters are often in small round bamboo cage baskets by the edge of the road. Apparently this is to desensitize them to loud noises and sudden disturbances … Continue reading Juxtapositions
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
Selamat sori! Good afternoon! It's been another delightful week in Bali. How interesting it's been to discover how all the arts we are studying are connected. The masks must be carved for the dancers to wear. The hand movements of the dancers echo the movements of the puppets. Mask carvers are also often dancers, or … Continue reading Week 2 in Bali
It's been such a busy Bali so far– so writing on the blog is challenging to make time for. There are so many more interesting things to do than type at a computer, but it is also great fun to share some of what's been happening. What follows is a quick summary, told partly in … Continue reading The First Few Days in Bali