Proceedings: TRADITIONAL DANCE AS A POINT OF DEPARTURE FOR THE CHOREOGRAPHY OF TARI KREASI BARU, NEW DANCE CREATIONS, IN BALI

I Nyoman, Cerita (2015) Proceedings: TRADITIONAL DANCE AS A POINT OF DEPARTURE FOR THE CHOREOGRAPHY OF TARI KREASI BARU, NEW DANCE CREATIONS, IN BALI. In: Proceedings of the 3 rd Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Performing Arts of Southeast Asia: SOUND, MOVEMENT, PLACE-GHOREOMUSICOL06Y OF HUMANLY OR6ANIZ£D EXPRESSION NEW RESEARCH: REVITALlZING AND CONS£RVING TRADITIONS. ICTM Study Group on Performing Arts of Southeast Asia, pp. 167-173. ISBN 978-602-9 I 64-14-5

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Abstract

In this paper, I identify nine traditional characteristics retained in new dance choreography practices, and illustrate these characteristics as found in one new dance example, Legong Trance, that I choreographed in 2002. I propose that these nine characteristics must be present in new Balinese dance creations, or tari kreasi baru, in order to be appropriate or acceptable according to Balinese cultural practices and standards. From my experience as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, I have identified these nine characteristics to be the pillars of traditional dance. These pillars make it possible to retain the distinct power or essence of traditional Balinese dance when creating tari kreasi baru. Traditional dance in Bali has a very long history, and is an integral part of, and cannot be separated from cultural practices. Traditional dance has been passed down from generation to generation, from age to age, and has crystallized into and functions as a persistent source for the diverse contemporary performing arts of Bali. As an important aspect of Balinese cultural identity, traditional dance is practiced within daily, ritual, and ceremonial life, according to religious and communal values. Therefore, the nine pillars comprise practices found in the process of creation and performance preparation, in the relationships between the performers on stage in performance, and in aesthetic conventions. Tari kreasi baru, or new dance creations, in contemporary Balinese performance contexts are new, creative, and unique choreographies that retain elements of traditional performance techniques and practices. I propose that there are nine pillars from traditional practices that must be retained in tari kreasi baru as taken together, they form the quantitative roh, or essential spirit, of traditional dance and remain present in tari kreasi baru performance practices. If these points are not retained, then it is difficult for the Balinese public to receive and understand these new works. If we leave these practices behind, Balinese dance, traditional or new, loses its power-the essential power that defines it. Before I discuss the nine characteristics or pillars of Balinese dance, I would like to first provide background information about Legong Trance, the sample choreography.

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