Tropical Heat Tour: Bali Part 9
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Back in 2010, I enjoyed the Suara Sakti bamboo gamelan group so much that I decided to see a similar outfit called Sekaa Jegog Yowana Swara Ubud at Pura Dalem Ubud. This time, however, there were only half as many players / instruments and only on one side of the stage. But, it was still loud as hell–way louder than regular gamelan instruments–and I almost had to bust out my earplugs. Bamboo gamelan originated in the village of Negara in West Bali and brings a powerful jungle sound with complex rhythmic layers to the Balinese temple complex.
The show started off with not one, but two instrumentals, Truntungan and Tabuh Taman Bali that set the mood of the Garden of Paradise. The first dance was the Pendet, a traditional dance to welcome visiting Gods and Godesses (in this case, tourists) to the temple. Second up was the Balinese warrior dance, Baris, performed by a funny little kid tucked inside a huge costume. Then came Mekepung, a dance from Negara, West Bali that depicts the energy and thrill of bull races. Next up was another instrumental called Tabuh Cangak Lemodang inspired by the beauty of Heron birds on Bali.
Following that was Gopala, which celebrates the rice harvest, and the duck-like teal-inspired Belibus. The whole shebang came to a close with an instrumental outro called Tabuh Gari. I talked to a young American guy in his 20s who is studying gamelan music in college, and he told me about a cremation ceremony tomorrow in Batubulan, about eight miles South of Ubud, but I doubt if I can wake up early enough to check it out.
Roll over photos for captions.
Words and photos ©2012 Arcane Candy.
Leave a Reply