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Week Three: Saugatuck, Michigan

The third week of World Fest brought Çudamani to Saugatuck, Michigan. Throughout the week, the group visited schools in Saugatuck as well as neighboring communities of Glenn, Zeeland, Holland, and Douglas. Special thanks to the Indiana Arts Commission for the invitation to perform at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend.

IMG_9422 The girls perform “Gabor” for students of a single-room schoolhouse in the small town of Glenn. Because the school is so small, our workshop was presented in the neighboring United Methodist Church.

IMG_9437 Ayu Eka plays the kempli, or beat keeper, during a demonstration that highlights each instrument of the gamelan.

IMG_9440 A playful improvisation lends itself to smirks and smiles.

IMG_9479 A young girl holds her hands in prayer position, one of many gestures used during kecak.

IMG_9495 Surya loads out the reyong as the morning sun shines through the church’s century-old stained glass windows.

IMG_9504 Emiko leads a lecture for an attentive and enthusiastic group of students at Zeeland Christian School.

IMG_9548 IMG_9625 Happy Birthday Surya and Agung!

IMG_9562 Ratna demonstrates the gong cycle for a group of students, faculty, and community members at Hope College in Holland.

IMG_9573 IMG_9587 Eka performs “Condong” and Dewa performs “Topeng Keras.”

IMG_9634 IMG_9642 Eka and Rai demonstrate the body positions found in female and male dance forms. While the female position is arched and lower to the ground, the male stance is tall and upright.

IMG_9721 IMG_9732 Emiko demonstrates how a dancer teacher would typically correct the body position of his or her student while Dewa leads various parts of an improvised composition.

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IMG_9832 Çudamani performs for the Indiana Arts Commission’s “Embracing Community Change Through The Arts” conference held at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at Notre Dame. This is particularly fitting since Çudamani sees itself as an activist group that responds to the philosophical, practical and problematic issues that face present-day Balinese arts.

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IMG_9853 Severe winds on the east coast of Lake Michigan literally blow us away!

IMG_9904 Ayu Eka performs “Legong Somya” during our public performance at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts. The piece recalls a dark period of time in recent Balinese history when anti-communist massacres swept through the island.

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