ODALAN BALI                                                                                                        Home
The Çudamani (SOOD-a-mani) ensemble brings to life the Balinese universe of mythology and history through a vibrant and dazzling presentation of music, dance and drama. Cudamani's Odalan Bali (an odalan is the Balinese temple ceremony),  features 26 of Bali’s finest dancers and musicians. The Odalan is a quintessential Balinese experience. Every Balinese belongs to a temple. Following the lunar calendar, every temple has an Odalan on its anniversary, which occurs every 210 days. There are over 20,000 temples on Bali.
Cudamani’s Odalan Bali is an exquisite synthesis of sound and motion that captures the exhilarating splendor and creative life force of the Balinese temple festival and transports the audience from everyday world. Meticulously crafted, Odalan Bali is rich in visual imagery, with dancers in shimmering costumes; dazzling polyrthyms that the musicians make on an array of bronze instruments against a back drop of lushly hued hand crafted banners and flags; priests in luminous white; warriors adorned with radiant headdresses; and a larger than life guardian spirit that twirls and dances - all create an often dream like quality as they connect to the unseen world. From the clamor of villagers working at dawn to the calm of prayer and worship, and from the meditative resonance of voice and flute to the virtuosic dances for which Bali is famous, this original evening-length work traces the life of a ceremony from the awakening of the ritual site, to purification, and finally to spiritual union.
PROGRAM. 
Pre-show: Nighttime soundscapes by Wayne Vitale
Act One
Awakening: Balance & Harmony.
Galang Kangin: First Light in the East.  
Choreographer: I Nyoman Cerita
Preparation for the festival starts  before dawn.  Our village awakens to the sounds of sweeping and birdsongs. The entire community comes out to work in preparation for the Odalan, from the youngest to the oldest. Men and women share in their responsibilities to clean and prepare the sacred space where the Odalan is to be held.

Mebat: Preparing Offerings
Composer: I Dewa Putu Berata. Choreography:  Cerita
Women and men each make offerings and prepare food that is to become part of the larger ceremony. Before dawn, the adult males in the village enjoy each others company as they chop meat and spices, and grate vegetables and coconuts. The roles of women and men inspire different kinds of energy in Bali. Both are equally valued, and eternally intertwined.

Mecaru : Appeasing the Playful Earth Spirits
Composer: I Dewa Ketut Alit. Choreography: I Nyoman Cerita.
The Mecaru is a ceremony that is performed during an Odalan to appease the mischevious Buta Kala spirits who, if ignored or angry, can create conflict and anger between humans. Women travel throughout the temple, offering holy water, incense, flowers and special foods. The men  perform Baris Gede -a ceremonial dance of chivalrous elegance as they call for the spirits. Once the Buta Kala have taken the essence of the offerings, they are satiated. All is ready for the Odalan to begin.
A portion of the music for ACT 1 commissioned by the 2005 Savannah Music Festival
INTERMISSION
Soundscapes of the Jeroan (Inner Temple)

Act Two: Odalan.

Çudamani. Composers: I Dewa Putu Rai, I Dewa Putu Berata, I Dewa Ketut Alit
We evoke the feeling of the Odalan itself through our composition Çudamani, which is inspired by the Panca Gita or the "Five sounds” that must be heard during a full ceremony: 1) The priests' mantras 2) The priests' bells 3) The sound of kidung, the singing of ancient songs while sitting in the temple 4) The sound of gamelan 5) The kul-kul, or wood slit drum.

Rerejangan. Choreographer:  I Nyoman Cerita. Composer: I Dewa Ketut Alit
Choreography and composition is inspired by the quiet yet communal sacred Rejang dances in our temples in Bali. Each village has a special Rejang or Pendet dance that is unique in movement and music. In our temples, women and girls of all ages come together and dance as an offering to the gods. The spirit of dedication and sincere offering is the same in every village.
 
Tajen. Composer: I Made Karmawan with additional arrangements by I Dewa Putu Berata.
In composer Karmawan's village, cockfights are an essential part of every Odalan. The offering of blood is a rite to appease the spirits that disrupt the Balinese life. It also allows for kinship among the men  as they participate in teh intense drama of betting, fighting, defeat and triumph, and ultimately the challenges of life and death. 


Legong Gering
Choreography: I Nyoman Cerita
Composer: I Dewa Ketut Alit with additional arrangements by I Dewa Putu Berata
Dancers: Ni  Wayan Febri Lestari, Gusti Ayu Suryani
Our children are considered to be very close to the divine, and therefore young girls are often entrusted as vessels for the divine.Sacred headdresses (called Susuhunan) are honored during Odalans and donned by young girls who may be descended upon by divine spirits.  The story of the birth of the Legong is the story of an ailing prince whose fevered mind saw two beautiful women dancing. When he regained his health he called forth artists of the village and transformed his imagaination into reality. 

Truna Gandrung
Dancer: Dewa Ayu Eka Putri

 Virtuosic performance is a part of any major ceremony. The kebyar genre, which includes stunning works of music and choreography, such as Truna Gandrung  developed in the 1930's in North Bali. "Truna Gandrung" means "young man in love" and is inspired by the moods, enery, spirit, and  playful exuberance of youth.

The virtuosity of the music is matched by the incredible skill of dancers who catch every fleeting melody of the metallaphones with the flick of the wrist and staccato movements of the torso.


Barong
Dancers: I Made Mahardika, Dewa Gde Guna Arta
One of most transformative moments in the performance is an enormous lion-like gaurdian called the "barong". A vehicle of Lord Shiva, the Barong watches over the ceremony and manifests powers that protect the village. It is a revered and beloved figure for the village.

In the end, the beast is appeased; day light has given way to dusk - the priest sprinkles holy water, covers the crowns and calm sets in like a rolling wave.

One of the goals of Cudamani is to recontextualize their arts within this theatrical narrative and demonstrate how powerful symbols like the masks and the mythical Barong are not just exotic objects but actually worshipped in the temple with their own place of honor.
Nyimpen: To Put Away
As the ceremony draws to a close the sacred vessels of the Susuhunan are stored with the knowledge that  the gods are ever-present. The final ceremony takes place at midnight.  Humbly and quietly we once more offer our gratitude and hopes for a peaceful life. With great reverence we put away our sacred headdresses and Barong…until the next Odalan and our last prayers are "Om Çanti Çanti Çanti Om"" May there be peace.