Getting the Song and Dance in Ubud, Bali

Two Daily Live Theatre Performances Come to Ubud, Bali at Royal Palace and Desa Visesa.

Through the generous support of the Visesa Desa Ubud Bali two exciting new daily theatrical performance celebrating the Indonesian lively arts will commence on January 31, 2018.

Balinese Living Arts
The two performances – operating under the umbrella titles of “Balinese Living Arts” have been months in preparation by two world-renowned artists. Made Sidia from the fabled Sanggar Paripurna – is a true renaissance man of Balinese artistry considered a master of carving, theatre, gamelan, dance, painting, and puppetry. Australian Peter Wilson who directed the extravaganza “Nature” that opened the 2000 Sydney Olympics and created mesmerizing puppetry elements for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2006 Asian Games – is again combining artistic energies with Made Sidia with whom he designed and inspired Bali’s longest playing musical extravaganza at the Bali Agung theatre.
Both men are considered international leaders in performances involving traditional and contemporary puppets.

The production opens in a Balinese traditional banjar as, one-by-one, talented artisans appear performing their respective crafts of creating traditional flutes, carving masks, fashioning beautiful traditional offerings, painting on canvas, and creating traditional puppets. Dancers executing key segments from the rich Balinese dance repertoire as they enter the village center.

The intensive connection shared between spirituality and artistic endeavor in the daily lives of the Balinese is further revealed as sacred Topeng Dancers depict the full range of the human experience. The sacred and profane, refinement and ugliness are all on display via the masks and movements employed by the dancer.

The pantheon of Bali-Hindu gods and goddesses appear bringing creation, destruction, fertility, love, and devotion. Evil forces invade the scene threatening the welfare of the community, while demon queens engage in epic battles with mystical Barong Lions and the dreaded Buta Kala – the grim reaper of Hindu mythology.

Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer combine forces to form a powerful triumvirate collaborating to restore balance and good order to the world.
Shiva – manifested as Nataraja – make a triumphal entrance performing the Ananda Tandava Dance of supreme bliss underlining the supremacy of dance and the almost endless other art forms practiced in Bali as the craftsmen and artists return to the stage for the program's conclusion.

At this point, Balinese Living Arts’ Siwa Nataraja performance transforms into an unique interactive artistic and cultural event in which audience members are invited onto the performance space to meet the performers who, like Balinese since time immemorial, eagerly share their Island’s culture and innate spirituality with the world.

Appropriately set amidst the verdant rice terraces of north Ubud at Desa Visesa Ubud, the daily eventide performance of Tri Hita Karana focuses on the Bali-Hindu Mother Goddess of Dewi Sri – the epitome of fertility and prosperity. As the “Goddess of Rice” - Dewi Sri’s influence in a Balinese community is key to providing balance and the prevention of famine, poverty and disease. Dewi Sri holds supreme mystical domain over the ubiquitous rice terraces of Bali where her name is even invoked at the cutting of every single stalk of rice

Rice and Dewi Sri are central to ritual and traditional agricultural life of the Balinese. Rice is omnipresent in all religious ceremonies and rituals on the Island, as it is also at every Balinese meal. The Balinese dogma of Tri Hita Karana – the absolute maintenance of balance in all things – is perfectly reflected in the role played by the cultivation of rice in the Island’s daily life. Balance between man and nature, between man and God, and between members of the human community that form the three tenets of Tri Hita Karana are all encompassed in the role played by rice, the subak agricultural system and the administration of local banjars.

The hour-long fast-moving compendium of Balinese traditional dance and music presented by some 40 artists celebrate the Tri Hita Karana orientation of balance between God, man, and nature that dictate every aspect of agricultural life stretching back centuries in Bali.
Theatrical Events Not to be Missed

Both shows represent an unparalleled opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Balinese art and culture, the rich history of Ubud’s Royal Household, and the pervasiveness of agriculture in the Island’s daily life. And, as with all their past collaborations, Sidia and Wilson will introduce into each program's cast of characters unique animal puppetry fogures that will both charm and mesmerize their audiences.

About the Ubud Royal Palace

Located at the very heart of Ubud, the Ubud Palace dates its construction in the first two decades of the 19th Century and is a living repository of Balinese architecture

The family palace of Ubud’s current Raja, the Palace is situated near the a fork in the Wos River - revered since the 8th century as a magically imbued place at which to pray, mediate, bathe and gather holy waters needed to perform local rituals.

The location for the daily “Balinese Living Arts” performance each day at 11:00 am, the Ubud Palaces is open to the public and the location for an entire schedule of Balinese cultural performances.

About Desa Visesa Ubud

Situated on 6.5 hectares of land and surrounded by traditional villages, Visesa Desa Ubud is less than 2-kilometers away from the Ubud Palace and the very center of the town that is the thriving center of Bali’s largest arts community.

Proudly Balinese in its location and architectural design, Desa Visesa’s 66 pool villas and 40 suites are set in working agricultural fields that form a integral self-sustaining part of the Resort. All the contemporary conveniences and luxuries amenities form part of the guest experience that includes four restaurants, a massive central swimming pool, and traditional luxuriant spa experiences.

Tickets

Reservations are recommended for both performances that can be done online at www.visesaubud.com or by telephoning +62-(0) 361-2091788 or +62-(0) 877 4532 5571. Email 

(Balidiscovery)