Balinese culture continues to cross borders, as the Ridgewood-based dance group Dharma Swara performed a new multi-disciplinary piece melding gamelan dance with depth-sensing camera technology at the Stone Circuit Theater in New York.
Dharma Swara was founded in 1989 and is the leading Balinese gamelan and dance group in the United States, bringing the vibrant dance practice to a wider audience. Most members of the dance troupe have lived or stayed in Bali and bring their knowledge of the culture outside the province to give performances that are authentic and true to its origins—the gamelan semara dana invented by Balinese composer I Wayan Bertha back in 1987. Gamelan is an Indonesian traditional instrumental practice that incorporates an orchestra-like ensemble which uses percussion, wind, and string instruments accompanied by live dancing. For Dharma Swara, it is an ensemble comprising 20th century gong kebyar tuning with the older 7-tone semar paguilian, which allows them to play both traditional music and new compositions.
In line with this, Dharma Swara performed their latest piece, “Nor’easter,” with Foreshadow—a Brooklyn-group with music composed by Jerome Fund and Joel Mellin. The choreography was an original from Dharma Swara dancers Ilona Bito and Ndaru Kartikaningsih, drawing from traditional Hindu myth through Indonesia’s shadow puppet play, while the sound of the gansa, a Balinese metallophone, and gongs creating the thunderous sounds in the background.
“We thought it would be an amazing match for puppetry because it’s such percussive and energetic music. We had to do a ton of research. We looked at Balinese art and connected with professors of Balinese dance and music…we took a really deep dive into the cosmic ocean,” Rosalind Lilly, co-founder of Foreshadow in an interview with QNS.
The troupe performed their new cultural piece at their two-night Fall Frequencies fundraiser event at the Stone Circle Theater in New York last October 25, and is set for a new performance this November 8 at The Local Center for Arts and Culture in Saugerties, New York. Learn more about Dharma Swara’s upcoming events here and catch them live to experience authentic Gamelan music and dance.