[Fwd: Cudamani in NYC]

THIS IS THE GROUP TO SEE

> > > acclaimed 25 member-troupe from Bali to make NY debut
> > MUSIC & DANCE OF BALI
> > �UDAMANI
> > > > SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2005 7:00 PM
> > Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center
> Broadway at 60th Street, NYC
> > $48, $36, $25; college students with ID $15
> > Box office (Bway at 60th St., ground floor) Mon-Sat 10AM-8:30PM; Sun
> 11AM-8:30PM
> CenterCharge (212) 721-6500
> online tickets: jalc.org
> > Info/charges (212) 545-7536
> worldmusicinstitute.org
> > �brilliant�stunning.� - LA TIMES
> > �udamani, a 25-member troupe from the village of Pengosekan, captures the
> magic of Bali with its dazzling dances, glorious costumes and shimmering
> gamelan orchestra of gongs and metallophones. In addition to preserving
> ancient and rare forms of Balinese music and dance, the ensemble composes and
> performs new works. �udamani is under the direction of I Dewa Putu Berata, an
> accomplished musician, composer, dancer and visual artist who excels in
> traditional Balinese genres as well as new forms of theatre and music.
> > The program, Odalan Bali (temple festival ceremony), includes ritual dances;
> Legong Gering; Barong; Truna Gandrung, in the popular kebyar style; and
> Rerejangan, a new work inspired by the communal sacred Rejang temple dances.
> The works are choreographed by the award-winning I Nyoman Cerita. New music
> has been composed by I Dewa Ketut Alit, one of Balis greatest young composers,
> as well as I Dewa Putu Berata and I Dewa Putu Rai. The program will open with
> ambient sounsdcapes by Wayne Vitale, the director of the California-based
> Gamelan Sekar Jaya.
> > �udamani comes from Pengosekan, a village well known for its community of
> painters, weavers and musicians. The ensemble was formed in 1997 by I Dewa
> Putu Berata (director), I Dewa Ketur Alit (artistic director), and I Dewa Putu
> Rai (music coordinator) and other dedicated artists as an alternative to the
> �professional� groups that were performing for tourists. �udamani maintains
> that the vitality of Balinese arts relies on the connection of performance to
> the religious and social life of the village. Many of the members have
> graduated from STSI, the degree-granting academy of music and dance in
> Denpasar. Senior members teach gamelan and dance to over 100 youth and
> children ranging in age form 5-18. �udamani is one of the very few
> organizations in Bali that teaches young girls to play gamelan, a realm that
> was until recently, reserved for men.
> > �udamani is a �Semarandana� ensemble, which is still rare in Bali; the group
> is at the forefront of work in this style. The tuning system contains seven
> notes as opposed to five, thus allowing the group to perform pieces from
> Angkling, Smar Pegulingan and Gong Kebyar on the same set of instruments.
> > In 2000, the �udamani childrens group was selected to represent Bali in the
> first National Childrens Performing Arts Festival in Jakarta. In 2001, the
> group received a grant from the Ford Foundation for its work in preservation,
> innovation and education. It made its U.S. debut at the World Festival of
> Sacred Music-Los Angeles in 2002. In 2003, it appeared in Greece as part of
> the Cultural Olympiad, appearing at the Kalamata Dance Festival and the Athens
> Festival at the Herodion (at the Acropolis). The ensemble is currently
> touring the US and will appear at the World EXPO in Aichi, Japan this summer.
> > This tour of �udamani is made possible by a grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts
> Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts Regional
> Touring Program.
> > This program is made possible in part by the Asian Cultural Council and Meet
> The Composer (Global Connections Program). Funding for Global Connections is
> provided by the Ford Foundation. Additional support is provided by the New
> York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.

--
Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island <http://anaphoria.com/>
The Wandering Medicine Show
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