balinese master of art

I Made Sidia has been called “the
busiest man in Bali” – indeed, a
typical day at this artist’s house
in Desa Bona might involve
dance lessons, gamelan
rehearsals and village meetings,
to say nothing of his faculty
position at the Indonesian
Institute of the Arts in Denpasar.
There appears to be nothing in
the vast realm of Balinese arts
that this man cannot accomplish,
whether it be choreographing
pyrotechnic spectacles for the
Bali Arts Festival or applying
three layers of make-up to a
fidgety young boy.
Between dancing at the Solo
Dance Festival today and leading
Desa Bona ’s gamelan orchestra
in Nusa Penida — an island off
Bali — on Sunday, the renowned
dalang (puppet master) will stage
shadow puppet performances
on Friday and Saturday at the
Jakarta Convention Center.
The performances will be Sidia’s
first in the capital city after
returning from a semester
abroad, teaching and performing
traditional Balinese arts in the
United States. He danced,
drummed and chanted in dozens
of venues, from New York to
Georgia, from elite universities to
public elementary schools.
“The youngest children were the
most curious,” he observed.
“They would ask, ‘Why is this
mask red? Why is that one gold?
What do the hand gestures
mean ?’ Sometimes they stumped
me, and I had to tell them,
‘ Because that’s just our
tradition.’”
Sidia’s stint in the States was his
longest time abroad, but he is a
seasoned traveler. Over the past
two decades he has performed
and taught in Australia, Taiwan,
Japan and a handful of European
countries — not to mention all
across the Indonesian
archipelago.
“When I share Balinese culture
with other people, I like to learn
about their culture, too, ” he said.
In addition to his bright red-and-
gold gamelan instruments, Sidia
has accumalted an eclectic
collection of instruments from
around the world, including
bamboo flutes from China, a tiny
violin from New York and a
ceramic drum from Denmark that
sounds like a heavy rock
plummeting into a deep pool of
water.
“Every culture has something to
offer,” he said. “Maybe music,
maybe cuisine, maybe legends
or religion or philosophy. ” Given
his profound respect for
tradition, it is no surprise that
Sidia ’s father, I Made Sija, is also
an accomplished artist.
In his day, Sija carved wooden
masks and cast puppet shadows
as well.
Sidia’s wife, Suasti, danced so
beautifully in her youth that she
toured through Canada, “when
she was 6 years old— the same
age as Sugi is now,” said Sidia,
beaming at his energetic son.
A born performer, Sugi loves to
play with his father ’s
instruments and puppets.
Culture is a family business in
Bali; fathers pass their talents
and tools on to their sons. Thus
traditions remain firmly
embedded in the island ’s
collective unconscious, but each
generation adds new
technologies and techniques.
Sidia is renowned for his love of
innovative visual effects. His
performances have included
transforming 3-D puppets —
designed by his brother,
Nyoman Sira — computerized
projections of landscapes and
characters, and the occasional
Roman candle.
Thus traditions remain firmly
embedded in the island ’s
collective unconscious.
“I think my favorite thing about
performing in Jakarta is the
children, ” Sidia said, noting that
keeping young people
entertained throughout a
performance that can last several
hours is a great but rewarding
challenge.
Of course, the show will offer
plenty of entertainment for
grown-ups as well; a dalang,
after all, must be “at once a
musician, priest, comedian and
philosopher. ”
Sidia remained coyly silent about
the subject of this weekend ’s
performance. But past shows
have not silenced his reputation
as an outspoken social critic.
Previously, he has addressed
issues such as swine flu,
deforestation and the 2002 Bali
bombings, all interwoven
seamlessly into the epic
narrative of the Mahabharata.
Besides tradition and current
events, Sidia also cites
improvisation as a shaping force
in his performances; so
audiences can be sure that each
performance will be relevant,
timely and lively.
source jakartaglobe