Wed 10/2 @ 7:30PM
Gamelan Çudamani emerged from a village in Bali known for its arts-based tourism, with its community of musicians and artisans. It was formed in the late 90s to protect the local cultural traditions from the compromises demanded of appealing to visitors.
On its website, the performing ensemble says, “Çudamani maintains that the vitality of Balinese arts relies on the connection of performance to spiritual and social life and on the balance between strong roots and brave innovation. The group is in many ways, an activist community that responds to the philosophical, practical and problematic issues that face Balinese artists today. The group invites master artists to Pengosekan to teach rarely performed repertoire, and members of the group also create new work. The group’s technical accomplishments are unparalleled and their dedication to Balinese traditional values are their hallmark.”
The group combines classic dance forms with new choreography, based on Balinese mythology and history; similarly the gamelon music the group performs reflects old and new cultural traditions. One of the new ones: teaching gamelon to the village’s young women in what was traditionally a male field.
The ensemble performs at the Simon and Rose Mandel Theatre at Tri-C’s eastern campus. Tickets are $22.
events.tri-c.edu/event/gamelan_cudamani
Highland Hills, OH 44122