BALAM Dance Theatre: More "From Bali to the Bronx"

BALAM’s new production, From Bali to the Bronx, brought back memories of the company’s successful Bali Tour 2010. The spring performance at Lehman College’s Lovinger Theatre in Bronx, New York included a short video that featured excerpts from “Harlequin’s Charade”, a humorous, masked ensemble choreography created for Islene Pinder, BALAM’s founding director. Pinder, who had not performed in over a decade, returned to the stage on the tour to celebrate this occasion and perform in the new piece. The video showed the Balinese smiling and laughing in response to “Harlequin’s Charade”, while providing many colorful and exotic images of Bali. (Above photo by Glen Chickering)

In the Question & Answer session that concluded the presentation, a theatre teacher in the audience sparked a discussion about the Commedia dell’Arte Harlequin character in the piece. Harlequin is not a stock character in the Balinese pantheon of traditional masked characters, yet the Balinese audience embraced him wholeheartedly. The Balinese grow up seeing masked dance performances and are attuned to reading body language, movement and dance. Because of their heightened sensitivities and Harlequin’s absolutely funny postures and attitude, these two cultures created perfect cross-cultural understanding!

Belly Dancing Used to Depict Classic Tale

Another highlight of the performance was guest belly dancer, Irina Akulenko, who was spellbinding in her role as Tilotama, the sensuous celestial nymph character taken from a story in the Mahabharata. Akulenko as Tilotama impassioned the masked warrior brothers with undulating hips and vibrating shimmies in Toshinori Hamada’s new dance trio, “Sunda Upasunda”. This mesmerizing work was performed to a magnetic score created in Bali for the tour by the Gamelan Semara Ratih of Ubud that included Indian dance rhythms and hypnotic gong cycles, which gave the work a special trance like power. ( 4 Photos by Julie Lemberger)

New Character and Dancer Welcomed to “Ramayana-Abduction of Sita”

BALAM’s popular signature work, “Ramayana-Abduction of Sita”, a Hindu inspired epic, featured the company’s resident guest Balinese dancer, Nani Devi, as the character Dewi Mimpi, angel of the dreams. This character was conceived by Pinder to include Devi’s magnificent traditional Indonesian dance skills in the dance fusion of the ensemble work. The audience luxuriated in Devi’s innate qualities of feminine softness, beauty and charm.

Dewi Mimpi assists Prince Rama battle the greedy demon Rahwana and his accomplice, the cutting Golden Deer, who abducts and imprisons the beautiful Princess Sita. In this concert, Dianna Warren debuted with the company dancing a fusion of ballet and Balinese styles on point to perform the role of the Golden Deer.

New Male Duet Introduced for Two New Dancers

Dancers Olsi Gjeci and Atsushi Yahagi also made their debuts in the program, "From Bali to the Bronx", with two performances of “Primordial Embers”. In this tour de force male duet, two Balinese fire gods lift, throw, fall and body slam each other to a driving orchestral jazz score inspired by gamelan music.

Thank You Lehman College

BALAM thanks Lehman College for its continued support. “From Bali to the Bronx” was presented as part of an annual free community event co-sponsored by the City and the Humanities and the Freshman Year Initiative at Lehman College.

About BALAM

BALAM has performed throughout the United States and internationally at renowned venues such as: Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, American Museum of Natural History, and the Bali International Arts Festival. Its work has received acclaim from audiences, critics, scholars, and dignitaries alike, including critical praise mentioned in the New York Times, Village Voice, and endorsements from the Indonesian Consulate of New York, and the Governor of Bali.

The company's long standing interest in dance research, along with its extensive collection of Balinese masks, and cutural costumes and props, make it a resource for educators, artists, and scholars.

The Deeper Meaning of the "Ramayana"

By Shelley Lynne Cummins, www.jaisriyogis.com/

Shelley Lynne Cummins is a yoga and Oneness Blessing trainer, as well as a dancer.

The first two limbs in the eight fold path of yoga are the Yamas, Awareness of the obstacles in life, and Niyamas, cultivating practices to remove the obstacles. As these limbs are activated in harmony, a balance or zero point arrives allowing causality to permeate. The classic tale of the Ramayana is a perfect depiction of this inner balance Of polarities producing unity.

As a dancer and yogini, I have had the great opportunity to study and dance the Ramayana for many years. Every time I enter into this great epic, new realizations are found. It is likened to the dance of day, going to sleep and awaking again in the morning for a new play. Amidst the routines of life subtle realizations appear as the mystery of unity Dances around in the unseen worlds.

A yogini's reflection of this great great tale.

The Ramayana is the story of the divine marriage within. It is everyone's story with all the players aspects of their self. The story begins with a happy and harmonious marriage of Sita and Rama. Sita symbolizes the balanced female and Rama the balanced male within each individual.

One day Sita is enticed by a golden deer into the cave of the evil demon, Rawana.

The capture of Sita is a metaphor of the ego consciousness trying to gain control over the potential of all. The golden deer represents the possible deception and false allure of the illusion of this physical plane.

Upon hearing the news of Sita's capture, Rama gives his golden ring to Hanuman the Monkey King. He orders Hanuman to deliver the ring to Sita so she will know help is on the way.

Here Rama embodies his higher masculine qualities of protection of the unseen and the absolute creation which lives in his word.

The ring symbolizes the circle of light around the body, known as the merkabah or golden carriage of light.

Hanuman the Monkey King represents our monkey mind constantly chattering. As our mind unites with the purpose of reinstalling causality, it becomes a servant of the heart. In service Hanuman flies across the ocean to deliver the ring to Sita. He is able to tap into the One Heart Mind And use his merkabah to transport himself where needed.

Hanuman delivers the ring to Sita and upon his return tells Rama of her whereabouts. Rama goes to fight the evil demon, Rawana, for the release of Sita.

Rama is fighting the ultimate battle of light and dark in order to regain the feminine intuitive, All knowing, nurturing life force. The light always wins as it illuminates the dark corners and shadows. Rama reunites with Sita and together they live happily ever after in the diversity and play of unity.

And to think we know the whole story, the entire ring in the circle of life.We boldly go on experiencing each section of the ring.

As Joseph Campbell says: We are each a heroine or hero on a great journey.We begin enlightened creating a life of experiences in order to realize and reunite with our all encompassing light.