Doors at 1:30 pm; Show at 2:00 pm
Advance Tickets: $12 Adults/$8 Children / $35 Family of Four
Day of Performance: $15 Adults / $10 Children
With our Global Cultures for Kids series, Ashkenaz brings the world of family entertainment to our stage. No passport necessary, as some of the greatest exponents of world music, dance and just plain fun present kid-oriented concerts at Ashkenaz. Today we visit traditional gamelan music and dance from the Indonesian island of Bali courtesy of Gamelan Sekar Jaya.
Gamelan Sekar Jaya, the most respected troupe presenting Balinese music and dance outside of Bali, stages a wild and colorful afternoon for all ages. Led by guest music director Bapak I Dewa Putu Berata and guest dance director Emiko Saraswati Susilo, Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s performance at Ashkenaz draws on the Balinese traditions of family, music and dance going hand in hand. The legendary vibrant traditions of music and dance in Bali have their foundation in a culture that embraces family and the arts together. Today’s concert features several of Sekar Jaya’s different groups that bring Balinese culture to life: the bronze angklung, dancers, the bamboo tingklik and genjek musicians.
The light-hearted melodies of the bamboo tingklik are reminiscent of warm relaxed evenings in Bali, when these village instruments are often played in a relaxed manner by farmers or musicians who are simply enjoying a rest after a long day's work.
The angklung's bronze instruments offer a completely different feeling, one that is sometimes perceived to be bright and sometimes melancholy. Unique arrangements of dance pieces for angklung are a special offering of the ensemble rarely seen anywhere else.
The dance ensemble will feature some of its younger performers, so bring the kids! Some of the senior performers of the ensemble will provide a balance for the youth members and the fun-loving vocal music of 'genjek/kecak' will highlight our local Balinese artists.
Gamelan Sekar Jaya is a sixty-member company of musicians and dancers, based in Berkeley, specializing in the performing arts of Bali. Founded in 1979, Gamelan Sekar Jaya has performed throughout California, the United States and Bali—in venues ranging from New York’s Symphony Space to remote village squares in Bali. Each season the group features Balinese guest directors in music and dance.
