BALAM Dance Theatre: From the Archive

BALAM Reflects on Founding Director Islene Pinder’s Inspiring Work, Spirit Window!

Islene Pinder & Toshinori Hamada in Spirit Window.

International Bali Arts Festival, 2000.

Photo Credit: BALAM Dance Theatre

In 2000, BALAM had the incredible experience of touring Bali, Indonesia, performing with its host company, Semara Ratih Gamelan, directed by A. A. Gde Anom Putra, who is also BALAM's Founding Director Islene Pinder's adoptive Balinese godson. The zenith of this life-changing experience was dancing at the International Bali Arts Festival, hosted in Denpasar, Bali, the island's capital.

BALAM's programming featured every company member, including Pinder, who was reticent to come out of dance retirement. The solution was to create a work inspired by a topic from her Balinese dance and culture research so she would be highly motivated to work through her worries about performing.

Spirit Window is a work that explores the Balinese concept of concurrent realities: the physical world and its impactful partner, the spirit world. The duet featured an original mask commissioned from Vaslav Jirovec of the Czech Republic. BALAM's Toshinori Hamada danced the role of an ancestor spirit, who, according to the Balinese, can both protect and punish mortals. Pinder danced as a temple priestess at the threshold of communing with the gods and ancestors.

For his character's movement, Hamada drew upon a Noh theatre gliding walk that made his body magically float. His presence also helped Pinder feel safe and not alone. The work was a resounding success, and Pinder's adoptive Balinese family was deeply moved to see her dance again in a piece of such profound meaning.

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.