The Unfortunate Charm of the Legong Dancer
Like everything, wise Balinese men will tell you, even their island too is subjected to the law of the Rwabhinneda, the complementary opposites. Light and Darkness; male and female; good and bad; serious and funny, and so forth. I spend much of my writing time talking about the positive, or funny sides of Balinese culture,
Windee Winata: Focusing on the Mysterious
Bali is an extraordinary visual experience, equalled by few other locations on earth. From the spectacular, shimmering landscapes, to the architectural and sculpturally magnificent structures and monuments, the grandeur of festivals and ceremonies, and the grace of the Balinese. It is vibrant and rich in photogenic subjects that incite wonder and euphoria that continually seduces
Tragic Love in the Stories of Balinese Dance
Love is an absurdly warm feeling full of complexity. Love stories can end up being happily ever after or, alternatively, manifest into agony and hatred. Romance is a sedative that triggers the creative mind to express oneself, a great inspiration for artists. In the hands of talented artists, a bloody war caused by love can
Bali’s Citra Sasmita: In The Spotlight of Indonesian Contemporary Art
The most significant display of contemporary art on the island during 2015 featured many of Bali’s finest artists exhibiting side-by-side with emerging talent. Violent Bali – Bali Art Intervention #1, opened at the Tony Raka Art Gallery, Ubud in November presenting eighty-five works raising issues such as identity, gender and cultural conflicts, and the New
The Balinese Gigolo
When he pulled up next to me, riding his big BMW bike, I immediately knew he was a beach boy, a “Kuta cowboy”, as we say here. His long hair was red from too much sun and salt. He was broad-shouldered, darkly handsome and looked straight into your eyes in an almost provocative way, very
Witnessing The Lingsar: A Journey Across the Sea
Every Balinese dance has a story, including The Lingsar, which shares the history between Lombok and Bali. The King of Karangasem sent Anak Agung Ketut Karangasem to the land of the Sasak, Lombok Island, with a troop of followers. Ida Pedandan Ketut Sebali, a holy man also accompanied Ketut Karangasem on this journey. After days
Balinese Living Arts: Ubud’s Newest Cultural Performances
Immerse yourself in a brand new cultural exposé in Ubud with Balinese Living Arts; two daily performances that blend drama, dance and music to present some of the island’s most treasured stories. Not a day goes by in Bali when a traditional dance is not being performed, whether it is the youthful apprentices practicing in the village
The Old, The Bold and The Beautiful
Even while the Holy mountain rumbles, life in Bali goes on. The Balinese tend to take life as it comes, living in the moment, rather than fretting about what may or may not happen sometime in the future. Here, people from all different walks of life – farmers, tourist people and old folk working in
Tandjung Sari Part 3: The Family Tree
When speaking about Tandjung Sari, its founding father WijaWawo-Runtu always said “my hotel is my living room, my guests are my friends”, but it was also their beloved home at BatuJimbar, that Wija and Tatie opened up to people from all over the world, and the ever-growing clan of Wawo-Runtu children. This is Part 3
Bima Ruci: The Dance of the Mahabharata
The epic of Mahabharata is popular in Java and Bali as the layers of the stories in the narrative includes historical reference and moral sample based on Hindu teachings. The epic spread to Indonesia in the 11th Century under the rule of King Dharmawangsa. The narrative is about the kingdom of Hastinapura under the rule
Stalwarts of the Sawah: The Life of the Balinese Rice Farmer
Bali’s beautiful glistening green rice fields are no accident. They are the result of a rice culture that has been handed down for centuries. A carefully integrated system of planting and irrigation through the UNESCO World Heritage recognised Subak system means that for centuries, rice farmers all over the island have received water to irrigate
Tandjung Sari Part 2: The Batujimbar Playground
In 1962 Tandjung Sari opened its doors to family, friends, and friends of friends—then almost without knowing it the once family-home became one of the ‘seminal boutique hotels of tropical Asia’. Described as the family’s ‘living room on the beach’, Tandjung Sari has welcomed world leaders, royalty, thinkers, famous musicians, and artists of every kind—they
Warni: Another Sad Story
People sometimes say that quarrelling is the salt and pepper of a couple’s life. Hardly a day goes by in Warni’s life when she does not quarrel with her Sasak man from Lombok (Sasak people are the main ethnic group from the island). They never set any special time for their daily fight: it might
