BARIS DANCE
The name “Baris” means “line”, referring to the line of soldiers who served the Rajas of Bali in ancient times. Baris dance is a traditional war dance to the rhythm of a Gamelan depicting the inner feelings of a noble warrior from fear, hesitation to self-assurance. He must also convey pride, chivalry, disdain but also compassion and regret. These feelings and attitude are carried out by facial expressions and movements.
There are two different main types of Baris dance: Ritual and non-ritual. But ritual Baris dance have 30 different variations. Depending on the type of performance, the dancer bears a spear, a bow or a Kris.
The most graceful of Balinese dances, this is the epitome of classical Balinese female dancing. A legong, as the dancer is known, is often a young girl of eight or nine years, rarely older than her early teens. It was first created in the 18th Century and is usually the first dance to be taught to beginners. There are many forms of Legong, ...
Born in 1895 in Holland, Johan Rudolf Bonnet became one of Bali’s most influential foreign artists. He first heard of Bali from W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. He came to Bali in 1929, soon became fascinated by Balinese culture and quickly decided to stay. He became, along with Walter Spies and Gusti Nyoman Lempad, a founder of the Pita Maha Art ...
W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp was born in Holland and first came to Bali in 1904. He was the 1st Western artist to visit Bali. After a quick return to Holland, he came back in 1906. Even though he didn’t settle in Bali like Walter Spies, he travelled around a lot, often coming back to Bali. His motto was “Vagando Acquiro” (while ...
'Walter Spies was a Russian-born German primitivist painter and musician who moved to Java in 1923. He later moved to Ubud. He is often credited with attracting the attention of the Western art scene of his time to Balinese culture and art. His house (today an hotel) has seen many illustrious visitors, such as Charlie Chaplin, Austrian ...
Tchakatchakatchaka.... You probably heard that poly rhythmic sound on your way here, or even before. Kecak Dance is famous worldwide. It has been inspired artists from all horizons, including Fellini in Satyricon, Geinoh Yamashirogumi, composer of Akira’s Original Soundtrack, avant-garde band Devo, or Mike Patton’s Mr. Bungle, just to name ...
ARTIST OF THE WEEK
Bali has sure seen the birth and progress of numerous bands this year, and here we are, happy to do our part related to the births and happenings related to the island's music scene! We are sure passionate to cheer for the newcomers to make their way and earn their place, of course starting in the local scene. This week we...
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