A set of gamelan angklungIn Bali there is a fundamental integration of the performing arts into daily social and religious activities. No celebration or gathering is complete without music and dance. In Balinese religious life, where an elaborate calendar requires an extensive range of ceremonies to be performed, there is a consensus that each event must be accompanied by' musical performances. Such performances serve to entertain the gods as well as the human participants, enabling both to return home after the ritual with a feeling of well being and contentment.
Because of the constant and widespread demand for musical performances, a very large number of music and dance troupes is active on the island (one recent estimate put the total at well over 1500). Music is practiced and developed incessantly by these groups in order to maintain a high standard of tech, unique and to develop an integration between musicians and dancers.
This astonishing degree of musical activity not only maintains the tradition, but also extends it. New works are constantly being created and premiered before village audiences eager for new combinations of sound, and movement. If these pieces are deemed worthy by the players and the audience, they are added to the existing repertoire and may even gain island-wide popularity. The Balinese view this as "a grafting of new flowers onto the old tree" rather than a break with tradition - an attitude that insures the vitality of the arts here.
These ideals find clear expression today in the Indonesian Academy of Music and Dance (STSI) in Denpasar, where many of the island's best performers, composers and choreographers work to develop and transmit their arts to a new generation. STSI also serves as the focal point for an international community of artists and scholars interested in the Balinese performing arts.
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