A Balinese company transforms a New York stage

Not many New York dance performances begin with the sound of frogs, stray birdcalls, and the swish of grass brooms against the floor. But the 26 expert musicians and dancers of the Balinese ensemble Gamelan Çudamani want us to see a stage's wooden floor as earth in a temple compound. This group, formed in Pengosekan, Ubud, is touring the U.S. with a program, Odalan Bali, that brings to life a village ritual. The piece—conceived by dance scholar Judy Mitoma and created by the collaborative ensemble led by musician I Dewa Putu Berata (Mitoma's son-in-law), assisted by his wife, dancer Emiko Saraswati Susilo—makes attempts by various other companies to turn a theater into a community seem phony.

The piece's artful combination of naturalism and stylization works magically from the outset. As women decorate the space, a small girl lifts a cloth that covers one of the instrument racks; a musician who's been sleeping underneath emerges grinning. Other drowsy men assemble, chatting amiably. Rhythms (designed by Berata) develop amid unhurried comings and goings with flowers, holy water, and other objects. The women sing, while the men, preparing "food" for the ceremony, chop and shave fat lengths of bamboo. An exhilarating web of sound created by the clack of knives and sticks against wooden disks is augmented by the men's jabbering vocalizations as they break into an impromptu snatch of a kecak, or "monkey chant." Several don hats and collars and strut forward with bent-kneed stride and wide-eyed alertness for the baris gede, a ceremonial warrior's dance. Later, in an ingeniously staged cockfight (minus birds), the crouching bettors convey a vivid, rhythmic drama of anticipation, disappointment, and delight.

(by Deborah Jowitt)

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Bintan, Treats in the forest

BINTAN is a small, lesser-known Indonesian island straddling the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea.
Its premier resort, Banyan Tree, is built on a hilly, beach-fringed promontory that overlooks both.

From our villa, perched high among the trees, mighty ships could be seen edging across the pewter sea while the skyscrapers of Singapore shimmered on the horizon like the Emerald City.

It didn't take long to discover that the best place to enjoy this exquisite view was from our private pool, a glass of something medicinal close at hand.

There are half a dozen resorts on Bintan, but Banyan Tree is the only five-star option, though this is soon to change.

The more affordable and family-oriented Angsana Resort and Spa, owned by the same outfit, is located next door and has access to the same 900m beach and many of the recreational activities.
Spending a few nights at Angsana before shifting to Banyan Tree might be a way to stretch your time on the island.

Banyan Tree is an extraordinary experience that's well worth the time and costs involved.

Leuser has volcano named after him

Congers resident aims to document hunt for diamonds on Indonesian volcano.

It may be hard to fathom, but Ted Leuser is basing his life's ambition on a cartoon from Ripley's Believe It or Not.

The drawing indicates that the Leuser Volcano in Sumatra, Indonesia, at one time erupted diamonds.

When the 64-year-old Congers resident got the clipping from his grandfather nearly 50 years ago, he was excited to see that the volcano had his last name attached to it.

"I was astounded to see my name, Leuser, for the first time in print," he said.

Leuser, formerly a self-employed businessman in the graphic arts industry, said he's convinced the volcano was discovered by an ancestor of his. More important, he believes diamonds are hidden in the lava bed.

Leuser said he sold his store so he could devote all of his time to his quest.

He said he has hardly any proof that any of it is true - he hasn't even been to Indonesia - but he's hoping the vision of himself as a diamond hunter traveling through Sumatra with a team of geologists is enough to attract a few investors and an executive producer for a documentary and reality TV show.
"How many people have you ever known in your life that have a volcano named after them?" he said, with the eager pitch and upraised eyebrow of a salesman.

By AMISHA PADNANI
THE JOURNAL NEWS

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The Bali Cookbook

THE Bali Cookbook by Lonny Gerungan, photographs by Warren Bright (Kyle Cathie/Simon & Schuster, $34.95) is a fiesta of retro colours, with pages of teale blue, burnt orange, lime and hot pink interspersed with white. Frangipani, hibiscus and banana leaf or panels of Balinese fabric decorate the pages. The effect is to highlight the vibrancy of the dishes.

In a foreword, the author says his book "paints a picture of the daily life of the Balinese"; a second foreword is by the Governor of Bali, who sees Gerungan as an ambassador (he has made TV programs in The Netherlands and authored other books).

Gerungan refers to the food's religious connections and says recipes have not traditionally been recorded on paper and are in danger of being lost.

Bali artist offers modern wayang performance

A fusion between a traditional wayang (shadow puppet) performance and modern technology has impressed Jakartans during a two-day show at Graha Bhakti Budaya hall in Taman Ismail Marzuki, Cikini, Central Jakarta.

The performance, called Wayang Listrik (electric puppet), amused the audience with its funny and critical dialogue presented by one of Bali's most accomplished puppet masters, I Made Sidia.

The 40-year-old puppeteer kept the audience laughing with his brilliant and innovative jokes in both English and Kawi, an ancient Javanese language.

In his Thursday performance at the hall, Sidia mocked Malaysia over the country's recent dispute with Indonesia through use of the traditional Indonesian song Rasa Sayange, which Malaysia had used in its tourism campaign.

In Sidia's Tualen's Journey story, Tualen, the main character, meets a wild tiger on his travels that he tries to tame by singing the Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Raya.

However, the tiger in the story becomes angry upon hearing Tualen sing the anthem, after which Tualen asks, "You must be a Malaysian tiger then, huh?".

Earlier: Folk song sparks row between Indonesia, Malaysia

FASHION MEETS ART AT THE 7TH ANNUAL BALI FASHION WEEK, NOVEMBER 2007

Now entering its seventh year, Bali Fashion Week07 (BFW07) has grown into one of the island’s foremost arts & culture events. BFW07 distinguishes itself from previous events with a “Fashion Meets Art” theme. The aim is to encourage local artists and designers to draw on the rich cultural and artistic qualities of life in Indonesia and incorporate them into their work in ways that will empower them and help them succeed in international markets. In this sense, “Fashion Meets Art” becomes an interface where creative individuals like designers, artists, musicians, painters, sculptors and dancers can come together, whether through performance or via installations.

BFW07 is taking place between 22 and 25 November and will present Bali’s principal forum for hosting international fashion shows, with local designers like Oka Diputra, Muji Ananta, Putu Aliki and Alik Charisma of Bali joined by the likes of Rajo Laurel and Ivarluvski of the Philippines, Choi Boko of Korea, Henry Lau of Hong Kong, Kerry Grima of Australia and many more.

Rather than focusing solely on fashion shows, BFW07 will divide its activities into two categories – Trade Show and Expo, both of which will take place at the Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel. The aim is to highlight the selected works of Indonesian designers as well available textiles and accessories. These will be made visible to international buyers attending the event, thus creating an important environment for the building of business relationships that in turn encourage Indonesia’s economic growth.

As regards education, BFW07 is conducting a series of focused seminars that look at the key current issues in the realms of design and fashion. Both national and international keynote speakers will attend.
There will also be a competition, divided into three subcategories – Models Competition, Photography Competition and Going Green Handbag Design Competition. These competitions are a useful tool in identifying emerging talent and ideas within the Indonesian fashion industry. The winners will be heavily promoted with a view to involving them in Hong Kong Fashion week in January 2008, as well as receiving prizes from sponsors.

The finale of BFW07 will take place on Sunday, November 25th with a street carnival entitled fashiOnNthestreet. Designers, arts and theatre communities, students, local banjars (village units) and businesses. It will be an opportunity to take the “Fashion Meets Art” theme out onto the streets and into the reality of the public at large. The travelling exhibition will make its way around Kuta and Kuta beach areas. A referee will select three participants to receive the awards in different fashion categories. A genuine community event, fashiONthestreet will bring together the creative people, the public and tourists to Bali. To enrol in the FashionONthestreet competition, visit www.balifashionweek.com

Nine-month tourist arrivals up 13.5 percent to 3.36 million

The number of tourists arriving in Indonesia rose 13.5 percent to 3.36 million in the first nine months, data from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed Thursday.

The increase was driven by a rise of 33.7 percent to 1.29 million arrivals in the resort island of Bali.

Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport, the second largest entry point, reported 854,492 arrivals, little changed from 854,323 a year ago.

Batam, an industrial island near Singapore, recorded a 5.1 percent increase to 791,571 arrivals.

In September alone, arrivals via the country's 15 entry points dropped to 382,461 from 405,604 in the preceding month.

Data from the Tourism Ministry showed 4.87 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia in 2006, with total spending of 4.45 billion US dollars.

Harmoni Hotel's Official Website Undergoes Improvement

Harmoni Hotel in Batam, Indonesia continues to bring quality service to its valued guests through the reconstruction of their official website. While guests can still log on to Harmoni Hotel's old website, the hotel management believes that a newly improved website will enhance the guests' experience, especially when making online reservations. Thus, the official website of the hotel will be undergoing a revamp and is expected to be re-launched this November.

Casually elegant accommodations coupled with a wide array of facilities are the trademarks of Harmoni Hotel. This stately hotel in Batam also believes in providing its guests with maximum convenience through speedy service via its website.

Potential guests can choose from the hotel's 246 furnished rooms and suites and view its impressive facilities by logging on to the Harmoni website. What's more, they can check for room availability and rates when they visit the hotel website. Online reservations are also made easy as guests can receive instant confirmation once they book a room online.

For more information about this Batam hotel, visit: http://www.harmonigroup.biz/hotel/Index/index.php.