Gamelan Sekar Jaya is pleased to partner with Kaleidoscope San Ramon and Namaha Foundation for the Arts to present One World, a multiethnic performance presenting the story of our universe and the birth of mother earth, while weaving stories handed down by ancestors of each culture.
This event will be streaming online on Namaha’s Youtube channel on Sunday June 27th at 6pm PST, with $10 tickets available at linktr.ee/namahaffa.
"Baris Kekoepoe", choreographed by Nyoman Kaler, is said to have been inspired by the butterfly decorations in damar kurung, the oil lanterns used in Balinese cremation rituals. "Baris Kekoepoe" tells the story of a group of butterflies welcoming the souls of the ancestors from heaven, keeping them company and performing a farewell ceremony when they leave earth. The dance is usually performed by four or more female dancers. This dance is a classical form that has only recently been brought back into practice. Source: Suardana, Kartika. 2012. Dances of Bali.
Our thanks to GSJ dancers for bringing this dance to the Bay Area.
Noni Andarawati (teacher and dancer)
Daniel Capo (videographer)
Katie Harrell (videographer)
Susan Lamberth (dancer)
Lydia Martin (dancer, video editor)
Jennifer Radakovich (dancer)
Casey Lee Sims (dancer)
Shoko Yamamuro (dancer)
Ni Luh Astiti Andarawati is a Guest Dance Director of Gamelan Sekar Jaya for the Spring 2021 season. She began her study of Balinese dance at the young age of five. Her first teacher was I Ketut Sumantra, from the village of Penasan in Klungkung, Bali. Upon relocation to the US, she performed with Gamelan Sekar Jaya and studied from master dance teachers including Ni Ketut Arini, Tjokorda Istri Putra Padmini, I Wayan Budiarsa, I Nyoman Wenten. She has performed leading roles in many large-scale dance dramas, including: “Kawit Legong” a collaboration of GSJ and Shadowlight,“Kali Yuga,” a dance drama created by a team of internationally renowned artists from Indonesia and the United States; “Sita Swayamvara” a collaboration of Abhinaya Dance Company and GSJ; and “The Creatures,” a Creative Work Fund supported work which premiered at the Asian Art Museum as a highlight of their exhibit: “Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance.” In Spring 2011, she acted as Guest Dance Director for GSJ, when she taught and lead three senior GSJ dancers in the national premiere performance of “Teruna Jaya Peliatan” at the Ethnic Dance Festival in San Francisco. She has toured extensively as a lead dancer of GSJ to perform The World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles, the Santa Barbara Multi Cultural Center’s World Music Series, and the Society for Ethnomusicology’s Regional Chapter Meeting.
